Senate rejects autism-insurance bill

Court says vaccine is not to blame for autism
WASHINGTON (AP) - In a big blow to parents who believe vaccines caused their children’s autism, a special court ruled Thursday that the shots are not to blame. The court said the evidence was overwhelmingly contrary to the parents’ claims - and backed years of science that found no risk.

“It was abundantly clear that petitioners’ theories of causation were speculative and unpersuasive,“ the court concluded in one of a trio of cases ruled on Thursday.

The ruling was anxiously awaited by health authorities and families who began presenting evidence in June 2007. More than 5,500 claims have been filed by families seeking compensation through the government’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The claims are reviewed by special masters serving on the U.S. Court of Claims.

“Hopefully, the determination by the special masters will help reassure parents that vaccines do not cause autism,“ the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.

An attorney for the families did not respond immediately to a request for comment. But the head of one consumer group that questions vaccine safety, the National Vaccine Information Center, said the court’s ruling will do little to change the minds of most parents who suspect a link between vaccines and autism. She said more studies are needed.

“I think it is a mistake to conclude that, because these few test cases were denied compensation, it’s been decided vaccines don’t play any role in regressive autism,“ said Barbara Loe Fisher, the center’s president.

To win, the families’ attorneys had to show that it was more likely than not that the autistic symptoms in the children were directly related to a combination of the measles-mumps-rubella shots and other shots that at the time carried a mercury-containing preservative called thimerosal. The ruling means that families filing claims based on that theory - potentially thousands - aren’t entitled to federal compensation, though they can appeal.

“It’s a great day for science, it’s a great day for America’s children when the court rules in favor of science.“ said Dr. Paul Offit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The court still has to rule on separate claims from other families who contend that, rather than a specific vaccine combination, the lone culprit could be thimerosal, a preservative that is no longer in most routine children’s vaccines. But in Thursday’s rulings, the court may have sent a signal on those cases, too:

“The petitioners have failed to demonstrate that thimerosal-containing vaccines can contribute to causing immune dysfunction,“ one of the court’s special masters wrote.

In 2001, parents of children with autism began filing petitions for compensation through the vaccine compensation program. Of the 12,850 cases ever filed through the program, about 5,535 represented autism cases.

The petitioners originally sought to present three different theories of how vaccines could cause autism. For each theory, there were to be three test cases.

Under the government’s vaccine compensation program, awards to the estate in a vaccine-related death are limited to $250,000 plus attorneys’ fees and costs. Awards to individuals with an injury judged to be vaccine-related have averaged more than $1 million.

More than half a million U.S. children have autism with costly health care needs that often put an unprecedented financial strain on their families, national data show. Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction. Those affected often have trouble communicating, and they exhibit unusual or severely limited activities and interests.

None of us would be where we are without help! The incidence of autism should be of great concern to everyone in Virginia. The research community does not know what causes it or which families it will touch. Any parents can have a child with autism. No one can tell you they are safe or it’s not their problem. What we do know is that children who do not receive medical interventions are most likely going to need state support as they grow up and for their entire lives. This support costs huge amounts of money, state money from all you taxpayers. The CDC estimates the incidence of autism is 1 in 150 live births and the number of autistic children is increasing every year. We do know that medical interventions such as ABA, OT, ST, and PT can help reach many of these children and change their level of functionality from severely disabled to independently functioning individuals who succeed in school, and even make the honor roll.
There are many wonderful General Assembly members who have fought long and hard for this bill. They are compassionate, responsible representative, even those members who did not agree but took time to listen and learn about autism. However, those that required their members to vote along party line need to think twice. We have been a country divided by party ideology for too long. Autism knows no party affiliation.

hjackson,
I don’t believe I said it was in the Constitution.  This is a statement from the Gettysburg Address by President Lincoln.  This speach was the President way of trying to reunite a country split by civil war; that would bring equality to all people.  The full statement on this is “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”.  This type of dedication to our COUNTRY is what I am referring to; people are just to concerned about the almight dollar in government today.

kickthekoolaid & hjackson,
I have to disagree that I don’t understand.  I understand completely especially since I am in the insurance industry.  That just makes it doubly frustrating for me.  There are many compromises that can be made on the part of the insurance companies that don’t cost the policy holders an arm and a leg. You are both correct that there are a lot of conditions not covered by insurance. The issue here is the same one when heart surgury and cancer surgury first came into play with insurance.  The companies have to look at the big picture and I feel that 1 in every 150 kids in the US is quickly rising to epidemic proportions.

These are two separate items here.  One being the insurance companies failure to look beyond the end of their nose and second for the government to actually represent people as they should - remember from school “government by the people, for the people”. 

The legislature seems to always fail to deal with issues like this.  The last paragraph of the article refers to a comment from Sen. Kenneth Stolle that “leislative process is an ugly business”.  The government has forgotten how to care for the people, their main concerns are how to make more money personally (look at Tom Daschle) not for the people. 

kickthekoolaid - I agree that other countries may not have insurance but these people have no trouble asking our government to step in and help them.  The US is bordering on major financial issues for our own people.  When you look at your personal finances, don’t you make sure your mortgage and other loans are paid each month before you give to others?  I have too espcially in this financial climate.

Helpless Mom you don’t understand. You don’t force the insurance company to pay anything. You can force them to collect more money from their customers to cover the increased costs of this treatment and testing. Insurance companies like any business is not in the charity business. They unlike the government must make a profit to survive. Government justs extorts more in taxes from citizens. The socialist movement is eating at us like a cancer. Soon it will consume our system and way of life. Government has no money of it’s own, just taxes that are collected from citizens. The bigger the government the more taxes required to fund it.

I realize your pain but there are millions of citizens who have some conditions that arn’t covered, some trying to exist with no retirement just social security. Government will not ever be able to finance everything that is needed by citizens. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are going broke now how can anyone advocate even more for them to cover? Where will they get them money? From us or just cut the present benefits.