Senate rejects autism-insurance bill
Published: February 11, 2009
Updated: February 11, 2009
The state Senate has rejected for the year efforts to force insurance companies to pay for treatment for children with autism.
The emotionally fraught measure, Senate Bill 1260 by Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel, R-Fauquier, had been watered down. She initially sought mandated coverage through age 21, but it was slashed to age 6 by the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee.
Another blow to the bill came when the Senate Finance Committee tacked on language that said if the state couldn’t find the money, it would not provide coverage for government workers.
That angered Sen. Frank W. Wagner, R-Virginia Beach. Saying it was unfair to exclude public employees, while requiring benefits for private-sector workers, he said, “We ought to have the guts to go into our own budget and find the bucks for it.“
Rather than put the bill to vote last night, senators instead buried it on a parliamentary move, returning the measure to the Finance Committee, which no longer can consider Senate-written legislation.
“The legislative process is an ugly process, and this has been particularly ugly,“ said Sen. Kenneth W. Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, who proposed sending the bill back to the money panel.
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
hjackson and kickthekoolaid: The government forces insurance companies to do all kinds of things. For example, keep certain reserves, invest in only certain securities, there and mandated benefits for health policies (as this would have been) the list goes on. For an exhaustive list see Title 38.2 of the Code of Virginia.
There is a whole medical industry that has seized on the increasing Autism for a paycheck. Those working in that field have a vested interest in forcing insurance companies to provide coverage (think universal). These providers have driven the cost of care up so much that it’s difficult or impossible to pay for it. It is very rewarding financially for providers.
Just like the other so-called behavior problems that allow schools to demand treatment with pills to drug the kids into submission some of this borders on voodoo medical practice that is designed to replace discipline and following rules of society.
dave: i dont know who posted the warning signs in your building but pediatricians use the DSM to diagnose Autism. It is very specific. And it is not something children grow out of unless addressed early on. Early intervention works for a lot of kids. This is why we as a society should be concerned: we can pay now or pay more later for adults who are unable to function.
Thank you, hjackson, for explaining this in better detail than I did.
I feel sorry for parents of autistic children, but once the gov’t starts fording private companies to run their business a certain way, we’ll be even worse off, and so will the families of autistic children.
12steprevenge,Hjackson: I don’t even know where to start with you. People pay insurance for a reason: to ensure that their medical expenses are covered as needed. That’s what insurance companies are there for. That’s what people pay them for. They’re not employee collectives; they are businesses who agree to a set of terms and services in exchange for money
It is you that doesn’t have a clue as to how the insurance system works. As a former negotiator for a company/union contract the terms of the insurance is set by the company. What is covered is set by the company, how much is paid is set by the company. The company contracts with the insurance company to administer the plan and the rate is set by the loss experience, projected cost for the period and the charge by the insurance company to administer it.
It’s the same with individual policies which is a contract between the insurance company and the individual. The terms are disclosed and the price.
The only way for these terms to be altered is for government socialistic intervention forcing them to add coverages that were not originally in the contract. Of course the price will increase and if enough government add-on’s are mandated the price will be not affordable for most. There is nothing free.
sloansmith: I may be ignorant in many respects, but I can read and I read a ‘warning signs of autism’ posted in my building that included ‘symptoms’ so broad as to include quite a few folks who weren’t autistic. I don’t know the motivation for it, but I do know from experience that a lot of kids with ADD or ADHD were ‘diagnosed’ with that condition with a very broad definition of it. In many cases the problem was behavioral (they were immature and had to grow up). I am raising a legitimate question as to whether a similar process is not taking place with the diagnosis of autism.
One last point - So you think the “stated job” of the insurance company should be defined by the government? Your statements have socialism written all over them. There are lots of health concerns that people think ‘should’ be cover by insurance companies. Autism is terrible, but so are a million other diseases and conditions. Where does it end short of socialized medicine? We’d be much, much worse off.
12Step: I can read Wikipedia too which happens to support my use of it where it means acceptance of something as law when in fact it may not be true. That’s the problem with finding support for an argument by taking things out of context. It always helps to read things in entirety. Unfortunately, in our age people all too often resort to intellectual shortcuts and end up making a muddle of things. Whether it is intentional or not I can not judge - can you?
12steprevenge -
There’s this little thing called a contract (or, as you stated your self “terms and services”) that you have with the insurance company. Once you sign up for insurance, your contract tells you what it covers. If it doesn’t cover cancer or autism or bee stings, whatever, then it’s not covered.
The insurance companies are not required to pay for anything not in the contract. If the contract says that it covers cancer, and the insurance company refuses to pay you, then that’s illegal. I stand by my previous statements - it’s a private company, and the government shouldn’t force them to do anything they don’t want to. As hjackson mentioned, that’s called socialism and universal healthcare. They don’t work.
Most of these comments reflect a real ignorance surrounding Autism. Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders are medical conditions that require medical and theraputic interventions. Parent of children with this disorder are not looking for a free ride. They are asking insurance companies to pay for what they should. Its the same as asking your insurance company to cover cancer treatment. The CDC itself has estimated that 1 in 150 children will be diagnosed with ASD. This is the real issue. What is happening to our children?
Post a Comment(Requires free registration)
- Please avoid offensive, vulgar, or hateful language.
- Respect others.
- Use the "Flag Comment" link when necessary.
- See the Terms and Conditions for details.
Advertisement