[Note: Shared for #AutisticHistory archive purposes. This is NOT An Autistic Ally.]
Summary of 2012 Oregon Autism Insurance Reform Bills
House Bill 2214 – Sponsored by State Representatives Peter Buckley (District 5) and Jim Thompson (District 23);Senate Bill 555 – Sponsored by State Senators Chris Edwards (District 7) and Suzanne Bonamici (District 17) January 30, 2012
The bills would:
- require providers of state-regulated insurance plans to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorders who are under the age of 18
- place no dollar cap on the annual benefit, although the Senate’s version of the bill as amended would limit ABA therapy to children under age 11, up to a maximum of 87 hours per month
- require health insurance providers cover all tests, assessments, and evaluations that are necessary to diagnose autism spectrum disorder including neuropsychological evaluations, genetic testing, and other tests required for accurate diagnosis
- require coverage, following a determination of medical necessity by a licensed physician or psychologist, to include:
- habilitative or rehabilitative care necessary to develop, improve, maintain, and restore to the maximum possible extent an individual’s functioning, including professional counseling and treatment programs such as applied behavior analysis (ABA), developmental approaches, and other behavioral health treatments
- pharmacy care
- psychiatric care
- psychological care
- therapeutic care, which is defined as services provided by licensed or certified speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, or physical therapists
- augmentative communication devices and other assistive technology devices
- coordination of care services
- other care deemed medically necessary and that meets the standards of evidence required for coverage of other prevailing medical or surgical treatments
- not apply to self-funded insurance plans since those plans are regulated by the federal government under ERISA
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 
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