Autism Speaks on Insurance Reform
I was very happy to read that Lorri Unumb of Autism Speaks succinctly stated that insurance reform will reduce the lifetime costs of autism at a recent hearing in Michigan. Readers of this blog (including Ms. Unumb) know that I have been critical of some of Autism Speaks’ past messaging regarding insurance reform. In Michigan, she was loud and clear. In addressing the rising autism rates in Michigan, she said:
Looking at this curve, there is a huge autism tsunami that is about to hit Michigan. And it’s going to cost an extraordinary amount of money in special education, adult care, institutionalization, if this current generation of kids doesn’t get the treatment that it needs. Without private insurance playing its part, that treatment simply is not going to happen.
According to Michigan Radio, Ms. Unumb went on to say that the cost to Michigan policyholders for covered autism treatment would be 83 cents per month. ”I haven’t met a single person in Michigan who isn’t willing to pay an extra 83 cents per month so that all of these kids can get the treatment they need,” she said.
It would be great to see more quotes like this one which can be the basis for an effective PR campaign. Explain the costs and benefits of autism treatments. Then explain the costs of withholding them and non-interested parties will begin to listen.
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A good cost benefit analysis is always useful. I wish a lot more research would be done to figure out what is causing this dramatic increase in Autism in children. I’ve worked with children for many many years and looking back I can see a dramatic increase in the last ten years alone in children who, officially diagnosed or not, would fit the profile for autism spectrum disorders. I say diagnosed or not because I think only recently have children affected by it even begun to get diagnosed in signifigant numbers so an increase in diagnosis would not automatically equal an increase in autism. As someone who works with children though, I have seen the symptoms played out in lives even before we knew what to call it and their are definately many more children displaying symptoms than ever before . Something appears to be going wrong in our children’s minds at an increasing rate and it seems to me that we should spend more time figuring out what’s causing it.