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The autism crisis is not new. Healthcare reform is front and center in the U.S. Congress, and the CDC has just come out with new numbers again confirming the increase in autism rates. Yet, most Senators and Congressmen continue to be silent on addressing the autism crisis, even in the context of the current healthcare reform. The co-founder of Autism Speaks, Bob Wright, is asking what many of us have been wondering for quite a while now: "What will it take?"
Wright asks, "...what it will take to get our elected leaders to wake up and take on this crisis in an appropriate way? Must we wait until every member of Congress has a child or grandchild with autism, or until every household is impacted by this devastating disorder? With nearly 750,000 children on the autism spectrum, we need meaningful action now that acknowledges the scope of this problem and allocates the resources necessary to take the fight against autism to a new level. We cannot expect the millions of people impacted by this crisis to wait another 20 years for answers."
Read the full Autism Speaks blog post.
AutismCrisis.org will not support any healthcare reform bill that does not finally mandate insurance coverage of autism treatment, such as ABA therapy, for every individual with autism, regardless of age.
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A new CDC report released on December 18 shows a continued increase in autism, which now affects 1 in 110 U.S. children and 1 in 70 boys. Yet in most states, health insurance companies are free to discriminate against children with autism and deny coverage for effective treatments, such as ABA therapy.
While some state legislators have taken a leadership role in mandating insurance coverage for autism treatment in their states, the U.S. Congress and the White House have been silent on including similar mandates within the current health care reform legislation. You can follow the progress (or lack of progress) on U.S. health care reform at PoorMansLobbyist.org.
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As many parents of children with autism already know, early autism intervention, such as ABA therapy, can be very effective and "lead to raised IQ levels and improved language skills and behavior," according to a study referenced by CNN in a Nov. 30 story.
Unfortunately, in most states, it is still legal for self-insured employers and health insurance companies to deny this important treatment.
Read CNN's article for more information on this study.
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On Saturday, Nov. 21, the Senate debated whether or not to allow its healthcare reform bill to come to the floor for debate and amendments, versus no action being taken (PoorMansLobbyist.org has more details on this story).
During a passionate speech about the need for healthcare reform, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) specifically called out the need for coverage of prescribed autism therapies, such as ABA therapy. Autism treatment advocates may recall that Senator Menendez also advocated for autism coverage during committee hearings.
AutismCrisis.org thanks Senator Menendez for his continued advocacy related to autism coverage and healthcare reform, and we hope that more of his colleagues will join him in addressing the current autism epidemic.
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The Autism Treatment Acceleration Act of 2009, sponsored by Rep. Michael Doyle (D-PA), has picked up four new cosponsors: Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Joe Crowley (D-NY), Dale Kildee (D-MI), and Solomon Ortiz (D-TX).
The complete list of cosponsors is available at govtrack.us.
Autism treatment is a bipartisan issue; is your Congressman listed as a cosponsor? If not, please call his or her office, and ask him or her to become a cosponsor of HR 2413. Please tell your Congressman that your vote in 2010 will go to someone who cares about the autism epidemic and is actually doing something about it.
AutismCrisis.org applauds and thanks Rep. Doyle and all of the cosponsors for their support.
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While many legislators across the country have caved to the pressures of the health insurance lobbyists, a New Hampshire House committee has passed a bill requiring coverage of behavioral treatment for autism. Voters in Massachusetts can read this article in the Concord Monitor to find out which elected officials voted to help the children with autism, and which legislators sided with the insurance industry to continue denying coverage of the prescribed medical care.
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The Massachusetts Advocates for Children (MAC) is advocating legislation to address bullying of children with autism. The bill, H. 3804: An Act Addressing Bullying of Children with ASD, "helps ensure that supports and services are provided, as appropriate, to address the needs of the individual child with ASD to avoid and respond to bullying through the IEP process," according to MAC's web site. More information is available on MAC's "Autism Project" web site.
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The Boston Herald is reporting in this article that 90% of children with autism are bullied, according to a study by the Massachusetts Advocates for Children. This news comes shortly after a 17 year old boy with autism in Georgia committed suicide, due to ongoing bullying at school.
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Parents of a 17 year old child in Georgia say they repeatedly requested that their son's school address continued bullying of their son. Despite the son's diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome, the school allegedly was apathetic to their concerns, which resulted in a tragic ending.
As health insurance companies lobby for medical care of children with autism and Asperger Syndrome to be performed by schools, not health professionals, it appears that some schools may not even be properly trained to deal with the basic social requirements of children with disabilities and/or special needs. The school's statement that they did not want to "glorify" the student by offering a moment of silence at the school shows just how large the potential disconnect is with the school understanding autism and Asperger Syndrome.
WRCB TV in Georgia has additional details on this tragedy.
While the school was not willing to offer a moment of silence for this victim, AutismCrisis.org hereby offers a moment of silence for every child that has ever been bullied as a result of a disability or disorder.
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The health insurance industry and its lobbyists are again arguing that schools, not medical professionals, are best equipped to treat individuals with autism. Never mind that neurologists and pediatricians disagree and specifically prescribe private speech therapy, occupational therapy, and ABA therapy. If it's a treatment that costs money, the health insurance industry wants the school districts (and the taxpayers) to pick up the bill, not the health insurance company shareholders.
The latest example is in Massachusetts, and The Cape Cod Times covers the story in this article. Also see this example in Virginia, where a health insurance lobbyist writes an editorial in support of this position.
AutismCrisis.org owner PoorMansLobbyist.org also has a blog post on this topic.
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Video courtesy Fox Business
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In order to get insurance companies to cover autism, one may have to sue. That's exactly what one family in California did, and the judge has sided on the side of the family. Read the full story in the Oct. 27 Los Angeles Times.
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On Oct. 19, Governor Doyle announced an emergency rule that will require insurance coverage of autism spectrum disorders. WKOW TV in Madison is covering the story.
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An editorial in the Richmond Times-Dispatch makes the case that schools should own the healthcare for developmentally disabled individuals, such as children with autism. Read the editorial at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and view our response at blog.poormanslobbyist.org.
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The Kansas City Star has uncovered apparent conflict of interest amongst the state's political leaders who refused to bring popular autism healthcare legislation for a vote. These same politicians then accepted financial donations from the very companies that would have been impacted by the legislation, creating the a perception of conflict of interest. Read the story at KansasCity.com
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While several states have passed legislation mandating critical autism-related healthcare coverage, such as ABA therapy, other states have sided with the health insurance industry and its lobbyists. Virginia is a recent example, and a disappointed dad is speaking out. View his letter to the editor at InsideNOVA.com.
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Former pro football player Doug Flutie makes the case for health insurance coverage of autism treatment in an editorial in The Boston Globe.
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