Konstantinov is the public face of a predicament facing roughly 18,000 Michigan residents who suffered serious traffic-related injuries and have lost their state-funded, unlimited lifetime medical care that every driver used to have to pay into by law. Due to the high costs of such care and changes to a Michigan law, he might be moved to an institution where restraints or medication would be necessary to keep him safe. Next week, Konstantinov is in danger of losing the round-the-clock care that has enabled him to remain home. Although he seems to comprehend questions, his answers are limited to a few words and aren't always easy to understand. Now 55, he needs help walking, eating, drinking and brushing his teeth, and a caregiver stays awake while he sleeps in case he needs to walk to the bathroom. Since suffering severe brain damage when his drunken limousine driver crashed while Konstantinov was a celebrating the first of the Red Wings' back-to-back championships in the late 1990s, the former NHL great and Red Army team captain has had to rebuild his life. That's about as good as it gets for him these days. The onetime Soviet and Detroit Red Wings star plays so often that he goes through a pack per week, wearing out cards with the hands that once made him one of the world's best defensemen.ĭuring a recent visit to the Konstantinovs' suburban Detroit condominium, he handily defeated his longtime nurse, Pam Demanuel, and smiled. – Vladimir Konstantinov has traded hockey sticks for an Uno deck. We should stay the course and let reforms keep working.WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. "So far, only a small number of individuals reported issues with their care under auto no-fault reforms and to date, open complaints only total seven. For insured drivers not able to resolve their issues, a hotline was created by the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services and we encourage people to use that resource. IAM member companies continue to work with customers to make sure their medically necessary care is covered. "More than 7 million drivers are seeing savings coming their way, anticipating $400 per-vehicle checks, and we should let these reforms keep working. "Auto no-fault reforms are creating savings for Michigan drivers, providing choice, reducing fraud and reining in rampant overcharging by medical providers who previously charged three and four times as much for the exact same medical procedures under the old, broken system. If it doesn’t happen soon, Vladimir Konstantinov may be forced to move out of state for personal care.Įrin McDonough, executive director of the Insurance Alliance of Michigan released the following statement: "It’s a terrible situation for the families and the patients that are having to go through this," said Barry Cargill.Ĭargill, the CEO of Michigan Homecare and Hospice - says there are several bills in the statehouse, which could overturn key no-fault provisions. Two decades later one of the NHL’s toughest defenseman now needs the help of another team to get by.
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