Tearful pleas haven’t been enough to move a bill requiring some autism coverage under insurance plans, but supporters spent the day in the Capitol making a final effort.
Senate Bill 74 remains in the House Health and Social Services Committee, where chair Wes Keller, R-Wasilla, is refusing to move the bill.
Among those seeking action on the bill was Rep. Dan Saddler, R-Anchorage, a parent of a child with autism who said he doesn’t want other families to go through what his had to go through to get treatment for his son.
That included refinancing his house, borrowing money from family, stresses he said in other cases have broken up families.
Saddler told the committee supporting the bill would be good for both families and the state.
“You save the state lots of money over a lifetime in reduced social services, in care, and you keep families together so kids are not dropped on the state at state expense for care,” he said.
Sen. Johnny Ellis, D-Anchorage, sponsored the bill in the Senate, which gave it bipartisan support.
“I truly believe its passing will save marriages and keep families together,” he said.
The Capitol has heard tearful pleas for passage of the bill, but these came from legislators such as Saddler.
He urged the Legislature to act this year.
“Every year that there is no action … more children slip into darkness,” Saddler said.
Saddler’s fellow representatives on the committee gave him a warm welcome. All but Keller are co-sponsors.
Committee member Beth Kerttula, D-Juneau, said the bill has strong support throughout the House, if only it could reach the floor.
“I think it would pass overwhelmingly,” she said.
Of the House’s 40 members, 28 are co-sponsors.
“We’ve had amazing testimony,” she said. “I guess the most important to me is that, with proper treatment, children can enter first grade and not have anything indistinguishable from their peers.”
Lorri Unumb with the national group Autism Speaks visited Alaska this week for the last-ditch effort, with affected families delivering gumballs to legislative offices to demonstrate the low cost of adding the coverage to insurance policies.
“It’s the price of a gumball to cover a child with autism,” Kerttula said.
Keller said the bill had problems, though.
“We don’t mean to be insensitive,” he said.
The National Federation of Independent Businesses and insurer Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska oppose the bill, saying it would harm the economy and raise costs for businesses.
Premera’s Sheela Tallman said the bill was unfair because it only covered private insurance plans. It would raise coverage costs by 3 percent in Alaska, she said.
Unumb said other states that have instituted similar mandates had seen far lower cost increases than projected. In five states to implement coverage, it increased costs per member per month by 15 cents in the first year, and 31 cents the second year after it was well known. Tallman said she did not have an equivalent cost per member per month estimate available.
Tallman called the coverage requirement “burdensome” and a “one-size-fits-all mandate.” The state shouldn’t tell private insurers what to cover, she said.
Kerttula said there are already more than a dozen coverages required by law.
The meeting concluded without Keller moving the bill.
Rep. Charisse Millett, R-Anchorage, a bill co-sponsor, said later Keller told her he would not be holding another hearing on the bill. She said legislators should consider taking the unusual step of removing the bill from committee over Keller’s objections.
Challenging a chairperson’s authority is rarely done, but Millett is not part of the Republican-led House Majority that named Keller as chairman of the Health and Social Services Committee.
• Contact reporter Pat Forgey at 523-2250 or at patrick.forgey@juneauempire.com.
Comments (31)
Add commentWhat is Keller's problem?
Isn't this the same person who made embarrassing national news over his Girl Scout issues? Now autism is on his hit list? What's this man's problem?
Come on Wes
You oppose abortion so vehemently but don't give a rat's a-- about the kids once they are born. Move the bill and get over yourself!
Punishment?
I feel as if the legislature is punishing those families of children with Autism. Pass this bill! It should not even be something to fight over. Maybe its time to get some new blood in the legislature.
They can do that? Then do it.
"[L]egislators should consider taking the unusual step of removing the bill from committee over Keller’s objections."
When 70% of the House are co-sponsors, "unusual steps" somehow seem justified.
no surprise
Come on, folks - this is classic GOP. They claim to be for privacy, but they want 'the state' to tell you what to do in the privacy of your own home, in your bedroom, with your marraige, between you and your doctor (only if you are a woman) - - - but heaven forbid 'the state' should require the 'free market' to include Autism in your health insurance - that might hurt the CEO's bottom line!
"The National Federation of
"The National Federation of Independent Businesses and insurer Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska oppose the bill, saying it would harm the economy and raise costs for businesses.
Premera’s Sheela Tallman said the bill was unfair because it only covered private insurance plans. It would raise coverage costs by 3 percent in Alaska, she said."
I guess they are going to just have to deal with it. The rising fuel prices have also cost businesses. That's the way things go. Deal with it!
My understanding is that
My understanding is that there is a link between toxins and Autism and many other neurological disorders.
Considering that our state now ranks Number 1 in the country for Toxic Chemical Releases (TRI) maybe these families should go after the industries that are releasing most of the toxins in our state. That would be the mining industry, coal power plants, oil industry,....
And lets start holding the Chamber of Commerce members accountable for the pollution in our state.
We rank No. 1 in the country for many mental health issues.
We rank No. 1 in the country for Toxic Chemical Releases
Our Arctic state is a sink hole for pollution, maybe we need to rethink things.
everyone loves to hand out cash
but this is not cheap. It will cost working people a heck of a lot more than the "price of a gumball".
People feel very big and magnanimous handing out millions in cash. Too bad you don't generate millions from adding 3 cents to premiums in such a small state with so very few working people not coasting on public assistance/working taxpayers already. As usual, there is nothing requiring patient/parent compliance. It's just a typical American spending spree with select individuals deciding who should pay for what they want because's there's never a thought that patients and families need to pay their own bills.
Forcing all plans to provide coverage for anything and everything eliminates the free choice people who can least afford health insurance have the right to choose and desperately need.
If there's so much desire by a few people for specific plan provisions; go ahead and pay for health insurance that gives you what you want.
What is wrong with the idea that parents must work as needed (not as desired- with lots of time off for fishing and hunting, etc) to provide for their families? What is wrong with requiring accountability for everyone spending other people's money? It's a foreign concept in AK but it shouldn't be.
yep and what is wrong with
yep. and what is wrong with holding polluters accountable?
We need Sarah Palin to come
We need Sarah Palin to come in and slap some sense into this Wes Keller clown. Whatever else you want to say about Sarah, she at least advocates for parents with special needs kids.
The verdict is still out on what causes autism. Nonetheless, it is an issue and needs to be addressed.
@Do the "Right" Thing
I find your insinuation very offensive that parents of autistic children do not work hard and as needed. My wife and I both work full-time, professional jobs and have to shuffle our schedules in such a way that one or the other of us is always available to our autistic son because the district's after-school program will not accept him.
You also seem to have an odd concept of the purpose behind health insurance. In any given year, some people receive more services and some people receive less. With our one child, we will pay the same "family" premium as a family of ten. None of us smoke, but our premiums pay for other people's cancer treatments. None of us ski, but our premiums pay for ACL and MCL surgeries for those who do. Our child, through no fault of his or ours, happens to be autistic and requires mental health services and medication.
Rep. Saddler's recollection about the family having to separate to receive services is hitting home as well. My wife and I will have to be separated for a month this summer so our son can receive appropriate services - most of which *is* being paid out of our own pocket, despite paying two insurance premiums. And, frankly, we're luckier than most parents in our position because we will (probably) be able to manage this with paid leave and are (finally) financially secure enough that the expense won't be sitting on a credit card for the next decade.
Meanwhile, let's all hope you don't find yourself paying thousands of dollars per year for insurance coverage, only to find it doesn't cover the thousands of dollars of services you need. Or maybe let's hope you do, so you can find a little empathy for the rest of us.
Heart Disease is covered
Type II diabetes is covered. There would be a lot of chest thumping and screaming if they were to be excludes. And YET, these conditions are more often than not preventable and self induced. They can also be controlled for most patients with lifestyle changes.
Autism is not a choice. It is not self induced. No one is looking for a freebie or a hand out. They are looking for coverage. There is the DMHDD waiver, which is so broke that kids are waitlisted for decades. Or you can put your child on SSI, I personally cannot bring myself to do that.
Early interventions and treatments can help these children become productive and contributing adults. With out them the outcome can be very different, and depending where on the spectrum an individual lands the cost to society can be much greater that the small up front investment.
But don't tell me that my child's treatment can't be covered by insurance because it would raise your rate. And our rates are already high enough because of morbid obesity and heaven forbid you should give up hugh fructose corn syrup.
Do the Right Thing apparently
Do the Right Thing apparently doesn't believe people should be allowed any time to themselves. Besides not understanding the role "luxuries" such as recreation play in mental and physical health, it's a very elitist thing to say, given that he obviously has enough free time of his own to post ignorant opinions on the internet.
http://www.nfib.com/nfib-in-m
http://www.nfib.com/nfib-in-my-state/nfib-in-my-state-content?cmsid=59758
"SB 74 is discriminatory against small employers as the mandate applies only to those who provide coverage regulated by state insurance statutes, estimated to be only 15% of Alaska’s population. It does not cover programs offered by the state and other governmental entities, unions, or large employers who typically offer ERISA programs – about 70% of our population. Thus, it creates a less fair business environment for Alaska’s small employers and favors outside business interests."
@ swimmergirl and do the right thing
@ swimmergirl- this isn't "classic GOP". This is the case of one ornery cuss showing that he has the power to pull people's strings. Please don't dumb down the issue by calling it an "R" or "D" issue. Like most things in life, it's more complicated than that.
@ do the right thing- it's obvious that you know little about autism. The problem is not that parents of kids with autism are looking for a free ride (well, at least most of them aren't), but rather that if you have a kid with autism, you cannot get private insurance for them at ANY price. Anyone with that diagnosis is declined across the board. Period. If you are self-employed, you can either get a group policy for your business, let the kid be uninsured, or put them on SSI and medicaid.
I'm as big a proponent of self-sufficiency as anyone out there, but in a civilized society, there should be a place for the larger group to pitch in and help those amongst us who are the most helpless, particulary when they did not cause their problems. This isn't like some scumbag who chose an unhealthy lifestyle and now looks to us to pay for rehab and all the government programs that go with it.
the ornery cuss....
Is a Republican, is he not? Perhaps in this particular case, since there are at least two republicans listed in favor of the bill in the article, this is not the case.
Nationally, the GOP certainly uses the "the state shouldn't tell me what to do" argument when it suits the bottom line of some company, but forget that same argument when intruding into people's private lives.
I have a friend who has a child with autism, they had to move away from Juneau in order to get the care they needed for their child. Autism should be covered, by every insurance outfit.
"The meeting concluded
"The meeting concluded without Keller moving the bill.
Rep. Charisse Millett, R-Anchorage, a bill co-sponsor, said later Keller told her he would not be holding another hearing on the bill. She said legislators should consider taking the unusual step of removing the bill from committee over Keller’s objections.
Challenging a chairperson’s authority is rarely done, but Millett is not part of the Republican-led House Majority that named Keller as chairman of the Health and Social Services Committee".
It is so sad to see this, coporate it's all about saving the corporate at any cost. But what about a human life?
I am making sure that this person never gets any of my votes!
Shame on you!
Keller Helping His Donors
I suspect that Rep. Keller has some heavy donors in the insurance industry. I don't know how to check. Someone may.
Sad
Here we are, trying to decide whether we should hand 1.5 billion or 2 billion to the oil companies in tax breaks (per year) but yet we cant do anything to help the kids and families affected by autism. Maybe the State should take the 3% that the Premera rep says the costs will increase by, and deduct that same amount out of the tax breaks to big oil that we apparently have money to give away on and put it in a illness account for kids with autism as well as other diseases for kids that arent covered by insurance. Employers can file a claim at the end of each year to the State to get reimbursed for the increased costs it will supposedly bring to their insurance premiums. Seems to me a much better way to spend our money.
Kiki, one problem.
Kids don't vote and moreover, have things done to them that if they were adults, would be illegal.
Nice thought of yours though.
Mike
the way I see it
I really don't think that Rep. Keller cares about anyone other than the insurance folks that he seems to be pandering to. It's still not known what causes Autism. So suing isn't going to work. Rep. Keller needs to do his job and let this bill go to the floor for a vote. By the way I'm a parent of a child who was diagnosed with Autism when he was 2 1/2 yrs old. He was born in 1986.
Noone knows whose fault it is...
But everyone knows that it is the single people who get to pay dearly for all the damaged people. I don't care particularly about any of the players of this. I do, however, take issue with,
"I'm as big a proponent of self-sufficiency as anyone out there, but in a civilized society, there should be a place for the larger group to pitch in and help those amongst us who are the most helpless, particulary when they did not cause their problems. This isn't like some scumbag who chose an unhealthy lifestyle and now looks to us to pay for rehab and all the government programs that go with it."
Alcoholism has been endorsed by the American Medical Association as a disease since 1957. No one definitely knows what causes it. So if we're going to be truly Logical we should remember that it could well be the scumbag actions and unhealthy lifestyles of parents of Autistic kids that has made them damaged in that way.
I don't want to help pay for other peoples nonsense or problems but feel that we should be equitable with the name calling.
So why should autism be
So why should autism be covered? The definition of the disease is still being "adjusted" by the medical establishment because its way too broad (covers all kinds of symptoms that may include people who aren't even autistic).
But more importantly, we don't cover many other diseases, why this one?
The sad fact is that everyone wants every disease and problem covered by insurance. The system just can't "afford" it. Why do you think our premiums are so high right now? And you want to add more coverage? Come on people, if you want kids then you have to accept SOME of the risk (and pay for it yourself).
Response to akadventurer
Don't know to much about the "disease" do you. For your information it's not a "disease" as you would like to lump it. It's a neurological disorder. The cause is unknown at this time. Bottom line,,,Families that have a member with that has been diagnosed with Autism need ALL the help they can get!
Response to akadventurer
Don't know to much about the "disease" do you. For your information it's not a "disease" as you would like to lump it. It's a neurological disorder. The cause is unknown at this time. Bottom line,,,Families that have a member with that has been diagnosed with Autism need ALL the help they can get!
@Chapter
Don't be too hard on akadventurer. He's just sore because his insurance won't cover his own condition - CranioRectal Insertion Syndrome
Who is to say that pollution
Who is to say that pollution is the problem? This is a pretty pristine place when you compare polluation to the size area it is polluting. There are more than enough suspects as to what causes autism... not saying you are wrong, just saying you probably are not right in this either. I happen to think many of the industrial companies in this state conduct fairly responsible business and environmentally friendly practices.
This particular website outlines (briefly, but I am sure you could all do your own follow up research) many other possible suspects as to why autism rates are sky rocketing... after much research I happen to be a little more on board with the idea of msg and excitotoxins disruspting bodies more than pollution. Autism and Alzheimer's are both glutamate disorders. We have been exposed to pollution much longer than many of the other possible causes...
http://www.msgtruth.org/autism.htm
It is too hard for me to say to just go ahead and cover this, even though I have 2 autistic boys in my family, because whoever mentioned that there are many diseases we do not cover is right. And also, whoever mentions that diabetes and heart disease are covered when they are maybe somewhat self induced is right.... this is just too touchy of an area for me to choose a side I guess. I hope everybody ends up getting what they need, even though things never seem to go that way.
@AKlove: dude. Glutamate is
@AKlove: dude. Glutamate is an amino acid, a component of proteins, and is also a very important neurotransmitter. It is present in every human body (every animal body, in fact), and is largely responsible for the "umami" taste in foods (which is why MSG is so delicious). When you eat meat--any meat--you are loading up on glutamate. When you eat many plant proteins, you load up on glutamate. Fungi (yeast, mushrooms) are also high in glutamate. Glutamine, a derivative of glutamate, is in fact the most common amino acid in your bloodstream.
And MSG is glutamate bound to sodium. It is not any more harmful than regular sodium, and so-called MSG sensitivity has been found to be psychosomatic--a product of the placebo effect.
In short, there is no evidence to support a relationship between autism and Alzheimer's disease to MSG. And from what we know about both disorders, the explanation is not simple or easy. Both have genetic components, but are also obviously influenced by your environment. Autism is characterized by abnormalities in frontal lobe function, while Alzheimer's is characterized by, essentially, tangled proteins in the brain that don't function properly and spread. They are very different disorders that happen at very different times in your life, and are very likely influenced by different environmental agents (Alzheimer's victims, for example, have much more aluminum in their systems than people without it, but whether this is cause or effect is unknown).
http://www.theautismfeed.com/
http://www.theautismfeed.com/proposed-causes-of-autism-disorder-in-gluta...
Just one of thousands of doctors that seems to think maybe, in people who have trouble regulating glutamate, that this is a pretty good route to follow up on. Why do you think doctors are seeing positive reactions in children being treated with Abilify... which is a glutamate blocker?
You probably also think Splenda is still sugar because it started as sugar...
No, AKlove, I think science
No, AKlove, I think science is more important than farce or superstition.
A genetic defect preventing you from regulating glutamate effectively may be partly to blame for autism (as per the article below). But that doesn't implicate MSG or other sources of dietary glutamate (read: any significant protein source) in causing autism. Your body needs and uses glutamate. If it can't regulate it, it doesn't matter how much or how little of it you eat; glutamate is a non-essential amino acid and your body synthesizes it from other amino acids when dietary intake isn't sufficient. This isn't a substance, like lead or arsenic, that you can prevent from getting into your body.
If glutamate blockers do treat the symptoms of autism, then great. But dietary intake of glutamate does NOT affect the rate at which glutamate interacts with neurons in the brain.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2547854/