Bill would require long-term insurance coverage for brain injuries from strokes, falls and illnesses

A bill introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives would require commercial health insurance plans to cover long-term treatment of brain injuries from illnesses, strokes and falls.

Tom Judd, executive director of the Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council, said many residents’ health insurance plans set annual limits on medical treatments – whether it’s a broken bone or a brain injury.

But Judd said such limits are inappropriate for brain injuries. Brain injuries can vary greatly in severity from person to person and, in many cases, are chronic conditions that require lifelong care.

“It needs to be treated as it is, and that is a chronic disease. It is not a one-time injury where everyone should have the same expectations for rehabilitation. “You need a completely different approach than typical medical rehabilitation after a broken bone, for example,” Judd said.

The bill also requires insurance plans to cover services that many don’t currently cover, Judd said, such as neurocognitive testing, speech therapy and rehabilitation at residential treatment centers.

Judd said the bill is modeled after a successful law that has been in place for nearly a decade. He said it has improved brain injury patients’ access to services and their quality of life after their injuries – without significantly increasing insurance costs in Texas.

The Michigan Association of Health Plans said it is reviewing the bill.

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