Senator McBroom discusses auto insurance reform bill, Whitmer’s veto

LANSING — On Tuesday the State Senate passed a bill to reform auto insurance in Michigan, where drivers pay more than any other state in the nation. State Senator Ed McBroom (R-38th District) has been one advocate for auto insurance reform since he first was elected to the State House back in 2011, and he said yesterday was a good day.

The bill looks to change a few major portions of our current system, and McBroom said there are a lot of moving parts that the bill impacts such as the putting a fee schedule in place to reduce unlimited benefits, and giving people the choice to opt out of personal injury protection if they already pay for health insurance.

“This could be a huge amount of savings because the personal injury protection that we purchase on our car insurance is the most expensive part, often, of the coverage,” said McBroom. “And it’s duplicate for a majority of people who are paying for health insurance, or having it paid for by an employer already.”

After the bill was passed on Tuesday, Governor Whitmer said she will veto the bill if it reaches her desk, but McBroom is hoping she won’t jump to any quick decisions.

“Within moments of it’s passage, to just say ‘hey, I’m going to veto it’ is an unfortunate development,” McBroom said. “I’m hoping it’s something that she’ll change her mind on when she sees this is providing real relief, it’s sensible, and it gets rid of a system that can’t be sustained indefinitely anyways.”

The bill still has to go through the house before it can get to the governor’s desk, and ABC10 will continue to follow the bill as it moves through the legislature.