ESCANABA — The President’s habit of making false statements has trickled down. State representative Beau LaFave chose to follow the president’s example.

Mr. LaFave held a town hall on March 4. At the beginning of the meeting he was unfamiliar with the subject in a question. He said that he didn’t know the answer, but would research it. On the other hand, Mr. LaFave made several false statements at the meeting. The false statements were easily researched. It is disturbing that Mr. LaFave failed to inform himself accurately, or if he had, he decided to intentionally mislead his constituents.

During his town hall Mr. LaFave volunteered, “…there are plenty of problems with the Affordable Care Act including a provision that says if I want to go get a loan to go to college, I can’t go to a private bank and get it anymore. Under the Affordable Care Act I am no longer as a citizen of this country able to go down to UP State Bank and ask for a loan to go to Michigan State University. They outlawed that…”

Mr. LaFave’s loan statement was false. A little research would have showed Mr. LaFave that private loans were still available, but he didn’t do his homework. In 2014 a similar claim was made by Representative Tom Cotton, now Senator, from Tennessee. Mr. Cotton implied the ACA wouldn’t permit private loans when he said that the ACA “nationalized the student loan industry.” Mr. LaFave went a step further. His statement left no doubt. Private loans were “outlawed.” In reference to Rep. Cotton’s statement FactCheck.org reported, “Plenty of banks offer private education loans…”

An Escanaba credit union confirmed that it made student loans. Wells Fargo’s website proclaims, “Cover the cost of your education with a Wells Fargo private student loan…”

Mr. LaFave cosponsored a resolution asking the U.S. Congress to repeal the ACA. Was his sponsorship a result of not doing his homework on the ACA?

Mr. LaFave is on the House insurance committee. That committee will address No Fault insurance. Both at his town hall and in the press Mr. LaFave demonstrated he didn’t understand the No Fault Act.

At his town hall Mr. La Fave said: (1) Some medical providers charge No Fault insurance companies more for services than other patients. Not true. Section 3107 of the No Fault law requires No Fault companies pay “all reasonable charges…” Insurance companies must pay reasonable charges, not any charge. No Fault insurance companies often pay less than medical providers typically charge, by saying that a charge was not reasonable.

At his town hall Mr. LaFave said that people on Social Security are not entitled to No Fault benefits. Social Security benefits can be deducted from No Fault work loss benefits, but Social Security beneficiaries are entitled to No Fault benefits. When a Medicare beneficiary, often a Social Security beneficiary, is injured in an auto accident the No Fault insurance company pays medical expenses.

On Jan. 2, 2017 MLIVE reported that Mr. Lafave told MLIVE that “Upward of a third of my constituents have license plates on their vehicle that say ‘Wisconsin.” The statement was incredible on its face. Look around your neighborhood. One third of your neighbors’ license plates are not Wisconsin plates.

As a service to his constituents, Mr. LaFave should have explained that residents of Michigan were required to register their motor vehicles with the Michigan Secretary of State, which requires a vehicle to have No Fault Insurance. Failing to obey the No Fault law results in serious consequences.

If a Michigan owner/driver of a car, not registered in Michigan, is involved in an accident with a properly insured car, the uninsured owner will not be compensated for anything. Not medical bills. Not wage loss. Even if paralyzed. Even if struck from behind by a raging drunk.

Mr. LaFave made his town hall assertions with conviction. He had not done his homework. Self-assured ignorance is not performing his duty to the citizens of his district.

— — —

Richard Clark practiced law for 41 years in Escanaba.