Legendary former Red Wings defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov, who needs all-day caregivers following a 1977 limo crash, is among Michiganians affected by the state's overhauled auto insurance system.
Vladimir Konstantinov at a Joe Louis Arena appearance with the Stanley Cup.
The Detroit Free Press describes how:
No-fault auto insurance has paid for all of Konstantinov's medical bills and long-term care since the devastating crash, which happened just days after the Red Wings won the 1997 Stanley Cup.
But Arcadia [Home Care & Staffing] says it may soon have to cut off Konstantinov — and 29 similarly situated auto accident patients — unless lawmakers act to ease the new price controls on no-fault medical services that took effect last July as part of the 2019 auto insurance overhaul.
Since the cost controls started, the staffing company has shouldered a growing $1.5 million billing deficit by continuing to serve all 30 patients like Konstantinov who pay through no-fault insurance, according to Theresa Ruedisueli, a regional director for Arcadia.
The agency provides three daily shifts of in-home care and physical therapy at the retired NHL star's West Bloomfield condominium. It hosted a news conference this week in Birmingham which Konstantinov, 54, attended in a wheelchair. He has a traumatic brain injury and requires help eating, dressing, exercising and going anywhere.
James Bellanca of Harper Woods, Konstantinov's attorney, is quoted as saying at the briefing: "Vladdy will probably be warehoused in a nursing home, with unspecialized care, with people who aren’t familiar with his injuries."
"We cannot afford to carry the financial burden of continuing their care if this reimbursement is not fixed," Ruedisueli said. "There is only so much [longer] that support can last. We are publicly traded, and we have people to answer for, too."
The 30 Arcadia patients are most impacted by the new law's 45% price cuts on various post-acute care services, such as in-home attendant care. ...
Arcadia generally charges no-fault insurance $30 to $35 an hour for its in-home care aides, and the aides are paid $16 to $18, Ruedisueli said. The company has been losing money under the 45% cuts because it continues to pay its aides their regular rates, despite the reduced no-fault reimbursement.
(Photo: Facebook/Olli Salo)
Barry Cargill, chief executive of the Michigan Home Care and Hospice Association, says 96 companies caring for vehicle crash survivors have discharged their patients or gone out of business, Michigan Radio reports.
"It's a terrible situation for the families and the patients that are having to go through this," Cargill said. "We know there are at least 18,000 who are affected by this ... because the home care that they need to stay in their homes is being taken away."
The Michigan Health and Hospital Association last week joined calls for the law to be amended.
The brain-injured former defenseman
"Numerous cases have occurred of patients being transferred to hospitals who did not otherwise need hospitalization because of a lack of long term post-acute care providers to care for them in their home or an appropriate facility," vice president Adam Carlson wrote to legislators. The situation "is putting unsustainable pressure on hospitals that don’t have the beds or staff to care for patients who shouldn’t be in the hospital."
Bills to undo the 45% cut are pending in the state House, including one introduced by Rep. Doug Wozniak, R-Shelby Township, and another from Rep. Phil Green, R-Millington. They're pending before the House Insurance Committee.
The Insurance Alliance of Michigan opposes any changes to the no-fault reform legislation passed in 2019 by the Republican-led legislature and signed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The state will rebate money to insurers if the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Fund grows to exceed 120% of liabilities. The rebate would be returned to drivers as an insurance discount.
