[Note: Shared for #AutisticHistory archive purposes. This is NOT An Autistic Ally.]
Autism Speaks’ Stuart Spielman To Act As Voice for Autism Community on Health Care Reform Implementation
Washington, DC (December 15, 2010) — The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), a voluntary organization of chief insurance regulatory officials, recently named 27 consumer liaison representatives for 2011, including Stuart Spielman(, Senior Policy Advisor and Counsel for Autism Speaks. In this position, Stuart will be a voice for the autism community at a time when insurance regulators consider critical issues relating to health care reform.
Read the release from NAIC:
NAIC NAMES 2011 CONSUMER LIAISON REPRESENTATIVES
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 15, 2010) — The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) recently named 27 consumer liaison representatives for 2011. The 18 funded and nine unfunded consumer representatives begin their terms Jan. 1, 2011. Sixteen of the funded consumer representatives participated in the program in 2010, while two are new to the NAIC program.
Established in 1992, the program promotes consumer interaction with the NAIC’s members, the insurance industry and interested parties through the individuals’ dedication and commitment to serving the public interest.
“This program has been an integral part of our efforts to improve and enhance the regulatory system for all consumers,” said Susan E. Voss, NAIC President-Elect and Iowa Insurance Commissioner. “The consumer liaison representatives provide tremendous insight and are an essential part of the regulatory dialogue.”
The following are the 2011 NAIC funded consumer liaison representatives:
Elizabeth Abbott: Project Director, Health Access
Amy Bach: Executive Director, United Policyholders
Deeia Beck: Public Counsel, Office of Public Insurance Counsel/Texas
Brendan M. Bridgeland: Director, Center for Insurance Research
Bonnie Burns: Training and Policy Specialist, California Health Advocate
Sabrina Corlette: Research Professor, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
Brenda J. Cude: Professor, University of Georgia
Joseph P. Ditre’: Executive Director, Consumers for Affordable Health Care
Timothy Stoltzfus Jost: Professor, Washington and Lee University School of Law
Karrol Kitt: Associate Professor, University of Texas at Austin
Peter Kochenburger: Executive Director, Insurance Law Center, University of Connecticut School of Law
Sonja L. Larkin-Thorne: Consumer Advocate
Sarah Lueck: Health Policy Analyst, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities*
Georgia Maheras: Private Market Policy Manager, Health Care for All
Stacey Pogue: Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Public Policy Priorities
Aaron Smith: Co-Founder and Executive Director, Young Invincibles*
Daniel Schwarcz: Associate Professor of Law, University of Minnesota Law School
Barbara Yondorf: President: Colorado Consumer Health Initiative
* New NAIC funded consumer representative in 2011
In addition, there are nine unfunded consumer representatives (6 returning from 2010 and 3 new as noted with an asterisk):
Stephen A. Alexander: Insurance Consumer Advocate, State of Florida
Kimberly Calder: Director, Federal Health Affairs and Insurance Policy, National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Susan Connors: President and CEO, Brain Injury Association of America*
Stephen Finan: Senior Director of Policy, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Howard Goldblatt: Director of Government Affairs, Coalition Against Insurance Fraud
Stephanie Mohl: Government Relations Manager, American Heart Association*
Lynn Quincy: Senior Policy Analyst, Consumers Union
Barbara Scott Rea: Development Director, Equality State Policy Center
Stuart Spielman: Senior Policy Advisor and Counsel, Autism Speaks*
About the NAIC
Formed in 1871, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is a voluntary organization of the chief insurance regulatory officials of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. The NAIC has three offices: Executive Office, Washington, D.C.; Central Office, Kansas City, Mo.; and Securities Valuation Office, New York City. The NAIC serves the needs of consumers and the industry, with an overriding objective of supporting state insurance regulators as they protect consumers and maintain the financial stability of the insurance marketplace. For more information, visit www.naic.org.
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Note/Warning:
Autistic people have fought the inclusion of ABA in therapy for us since before Autism Speaks, and other non-Autistic-led autism organizations, started lobbying legislation to get it covered by insurances and Medicaid.
ABA is a myth originally sold to parents that it would keep their Autistic child out of an institution. Today, parents are told that with early intervention therapy their child will either be less Autistic or no longer Autistic by elementary school, and can be mainstreamed in typical education classes. ABA is very expensive to pay out of pocket. Essentially, Autism Speaks has justified the big price tag up front will offset the overall burden on resources for an Autistic’s lifetime. The recommendation for this therapy is 40 hours a week for children and toddlers.
The original study that showed the success rate of ABA to be at 50% has never been replicated. In fact, the study of ABA by United States Department of Defense was denounced as a failure. Not just once, but multiple times. Simply stated: ABA doesn’t work. In study after repeated study: ABA (conversion therapy) doesn’t work.
What more recent studies do show: Autistics who experienced ABA therapy are at high risk to develop PTSD and other lifelong trauma-related conditions. Historically, the autism organizations promoting ABA as a cure or solution have silenced Autistic advocates’ opposition. ABA is also known as gay conversion therapy.
The ‘cure’ for Autistics not born yet is the prevention of birth.
The ‘cure’ is a choice to terminate a pregnancy based on ‘autism risk.’ The cure is abortion. This is the same ‘cure’ society has for Down Syndrome.
This is eugenics 2021. Instead of killing Autistics and disabled children in gas chambers or ‘mercy killings’ like in Aktion T4, it’ll happen at the doctor’s office, quietly, one Autistic baby at a time. Different approaches yes, but still eugenics and the extinction of an entire minority group of people.
Fact: You can’t cure Autistics from being Autistic.
Fact: You can’t recover an Autistic from being Autistic.
Fact: You can groom an Autistic to mask and hide their traits. Somewhat. … however, this comes at the expense of the Autistic child, promotes Autistic Burnout (this should not be confused with typical burnout, Autistic Burnout can kill Autistics), and places the Autistic child at high risk for PTSD and other lifelong trauma-related conditions.
[Note: Autism is NOT a disease, but a neurodevelopmental difference and disability.]
Fact: Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism.
International Badass Activists 