The association justified the fee increases as necessary to address a deficit in the MCCA's statewide fund. The fund, which is for the medical expenses of the most severely injured victims of auto accidents, swung from a $5 billion surplus in 2020-21 to a $3.7 billion deficit last fiscal year for three primary reasons:
A court decision last summer that overturned some no-fault medical cost controls for crash victims (a projected loss of $3.7 billion).
Declines in the stock market ($2.8 billion loss).
The cost of issuing $400 per-vehicle refund checks in spring 2022, prompted by the previous surplus ($3.1 billion loss).