Michigan no-fault auto insurance reform is no slam dunk

  Legislation in Michigan to reform no-fault auto insurance by putting a $1 million cap on payments for catastrophic injuries won't be easy to achieve.
  Announced by Gov. Rick Snyder last week, the push-back was almost immediate.

  Just because Snyder is a Republican and Republicans control the House and Senate doesn't make the reforms he's seeking an automatic.

  Critics like the Coalition Protecting Auto No-Fault say the reforms are designed to benefit insurers and won't have the premium-reducing effect the governor and some lawmakers say is likely.

  One Republican critic is Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, who says it's a shameful effort by some lawmakers to get control of the $14 billion fund that pays for Michigan's unlimited catastrophic care for auto accident victims.

  Patterson, in a severe auto accident last summer, stresses his recovery is paid for by workers compensation, not the no-fault injury fund. But he says he's vehemently opposed to the legislation that has been offered and opposes any cap on medical benefits, arguing $1 million could easily be spent in a matter of months for severe injuries.

  Here's the short version of Patterson's thoughts on no-fault insurance reform. The longer version is at http://bit.ly/Y10V5w.