[Note: Shared for #AutisticHistory archive purposes. This is NOT An Autistic Ally.]
Summary of the 2011 North Carolina Autism Insurance Reform Bills
Senate Bill 115 – Sponsored by Senator William R. Purcell; House Bill 826 – Sponsored by Assemblymembers Parfitt, Glazier, Keever and Murray March 18, 2011
- Would require health insurance companies to provide coverage of the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders
- Coverage of treatments will be provided when prescribed or ordered for an individual diagnosed with autism by a licensed physician or a licensed psychologist in accordance with a treatment plan
- Under this bill, health insurance companies would be required to provide coverage of the following:
- Diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder – meaning medically necessary assessments, evaluations, including neuropsychological evaluations, genetic testing, or other testing to determine whether an individual has one or more autism spectrum disorders
- Behavioral care – meaning any practices for the purpose of increasing appropriate or adaptive behaviors, decreasing maladaptive behaviors, developing, maintaining, or restoring, to the maximum extent practicable, the functioning of an individual, including the systematic management of environmental factors or the consequences of behaviors. Coverage is provided when behavioral care is provided or supervised by a state-licensed or state-certified health care professional.
- Pharmacy care – meaning medications prescribed by a licensed physician and any health-related services deemed medically necessary to determine the need for or effectiveness of the medications
- Psychiatric care – meaning direct or consultative services provided by a licensed psychiatrist
- Psychological care – meaning direct or consultative services provided by a licensed psychologist or licensed psychological associate
- Therapeutic care – meaning services provided by licensed or certified speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, or physical therapists
- The bill provides coverage for comorbid biomedical conditions
- Coverage for behavioral therapy under these bills will be subject to a maximum benefit of $75,000 per year
- The bill does not affect any obligation to provide services to an individual under an individualized family service plan, an individualized education program (IEP), or an individualized services plan
- The bill applies only to state regulated insurance plans and the state employee health plans. It does not apply to self-funded insurance plans, as these plans are regulated by the federal government under ERISA law
- Coverage would begin for state regulated plans that are delivered, issued, continued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2012
The Autism Community Is Not The Autistic Community
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 