MICHIGAN PIP
Michigan’s auto no-fault law provides individuals with the following benefits under the Personal Protection Insurance also commonly known as Personal Injury Protection (PIP) portion of the policy:

• Medical/Allowable Expenses – consists of medical benefits, attendant care, and other benefits for individuals, who are injured in an automobile accident.
• Wage Loss – consists of loss of income from work for individuals, who are injured in an automobile accident. Limitations apply to this benefit.

    ·  Essential Services – consists of reimbursement to individuals, who are injured in an                   automobile accident, for routine household services they would have done had they not           been injured. Limitations apply to this benefit.
    ·   Funeral and burial expenses – limitations apply.
   ·  Survivor’s loss – consists of benefits paid to survivors and dependents of an individual              who dies as a result of an automobile accident. Limitations apply to this benefit.

CHANGES TO MICHIGAN MEDICAL/ALLOWABLE EXPENSE COVERAGE
For policies issued or renewed beginning on July 2, 2020, Michigan drivers will be able to select their preferred level of Medical/Allowable Expense coverage under PIP. Based on an individual’s eligibility and specific needs, the individual will be able to select from the following options:

OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE
> Unlimited (with Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association involvement)
> $500,000
> $250,000

OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS WITH QUALIFIED HEALTH COVERAGE.
WHAT IS QUALIFIED HEALTH COVERAGE (QHC)?
Qualified health coverage is health or accident insurance coverage that does not exclude or limit coverage for injuries related to auto accidents and has a deductible of $6,000 or less per person.

​> $250,000 PIP Exclusion
WHAT IS IT? If an individual qualifies for and chooses this option, and they are injured in an automobile accident, their medical benefits will be covered by their QHC provider. Individuals who purchase this option will  not be eligible for any PIP medical/allowable expenses.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE? Insureds who have QHC (see red note above) and their spouse and/or resident relative(s) in the same household, who have QHC or are enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B. If not all household residents are eligible, it is still possible to elect this option, with the exclusion applying only to eligible individuals.

OPTION AVAILABLE TO ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS WITH MEDICAID
> $50,000 Medical/Allowable Expense - Medicaid Only
WHAT IS IT? $50,000 Medical/Allowable Expense coverage option for Medicaid recipients.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE? Insureds who are enrolled in Medicaid. However, a spouse and/or resident relative(s) in the same household must also be enrolled in Medicaid, be enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B, have other PIP Allowable Expense coverage, or have QHC.

OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS WITH MEDICARE
> Medical/Allowable Expense Opt-Out – Medicare Only
WHAT IS IT? Complete opt-out of Medical/Allowable Expense coverage for Medicare recipients.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE? Insureds who are enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B. However, a spouse and any resident relative(s) in the same household must also be enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B, have other PIP Medical/Allowable Expense coverage, or have QHC. Insureds will be required to provide documentation showing that they, their spouse, and any resident relative(s) are eligible in order to elect this option.

*Please see the No-Fault Act for complete details. This summary is being provided for general information purposes only. Subject to regulatory approval. Coverage is subject to all policy terms, conditions, exclusions and limitations.

The season is upon us.  The Annual Election Period for Medicare begins October 15th and ends on December 7th.  Open enrollment on the Federally Facilitated Marketplace for under age 65 plans will be from November 1st through December 15th.  We are set-up to walk you through the process so you can see ALL the available options.  We do not charge for this service and we will not call you on the phone unless you ask.  Call, text or email for your free annual review today. The Medicare.gov website has been updated and it remains to be seen what additional confusion may be caused by the changes.  You can see the original article in the Free Press by clicking the button below.
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Jim was recently baptized at my church.  I would go to his house every Wednesday and he would be waiting for me.  We would go to my house and eat a wonderful meal prepared by my wife.  We always gave Jim enough leftovers for 3 or 4 more days.  We would then do a devotional study just to stay in the Word.  He was diabetic and had vision issues - but wasn't afraid to hold the book right up to his face so he could read.
 
One day I went to Jim's and he wasn't waiting and didn't answer the door.  I went inside and found him. He was dead.  He had not been taking his insulin or checking his blood sugar because he didn't have money for insulin.  Insulin is a drug that has been around since the 1920's. My great grandfather lost both his legs because of diabetes, but when insulin arrived on the scene it kept him alive for another 35 years.  His father also had diabetes and eventually died from gangrene. 

The cost of insulin is literally pennies a dose but I now have clients paying up to $5,000/year for their insulin.  Executives from the pharmaceutical companies recently appeared before congress to try and explain why this drug has tripled in price over the last decade. It reminds me of the EpiPen crisis a couple of years ago.  Suddenly the lifesaving medication was $600/dose when is had been $60 for many years.  Corporate greed in America is literally killing people.
 
I dream of waking up one morning only to discover that the big pharma executives and their related venture capitalists were rounded up during the night and are now staying rent free in Gitmo.  I don't think anyone in America would complain.  Even the ACLU would be hard-pressed to make their case. 

A recent popular TV sitcom made a lot of jokes at the expense of big pharma.  The Medicare couple would split the drugs up each month between the two of them because they didn't have enough money for full proper prescriptions.  When you think of the advertisements that surround the evening news you realize that the networks rely on big pharma for a lot of their revenue.  It was not surprising when the sitcom was taken off the air.  I don't think political correctness was the real reason.

I listened to a spokesman explaining why Americans need to pay more than anyone else in the world for our drugs.  If we don't we'll die because of a downturn in research and development.  This is fear mongering of the first order.  We just need corporate America to justify the pillaging of senior citizen bank accounts.  I say it's time to round them up and set an example.