Doug Flutie Speaks out on Autism and Insurance Coverage
Doug Flutie speaks out on the travesty that is autism insurance coverage. Read the full editorial at Boston.com HERE. Thank you, Doug.
...Parents will learn that, with early intervention, children with autism can make significant strides - a fact backed up by extensive studies. They’ll find that their pediatricians and neurologists will prescribe intense one-on-one speech, occupational, physical, and behavioral therapies. And then they’ll be dismayed to discover that, though they’ve always paid their health care premiums, their health plans will not cover these services.
Why don’t health plans cover treatments for the fastest-growing health threat to children? There is a contradiction between the role of schools versus that of medicine and health plans. Federal law stipulates that schools provide services necessary to allow all children to “access the curriculum.’’ While critical to helping children with autism excel in the classroom, this in no way replaces their need for therapy to improve long-term brain functioning - not only to get through an average day, but to lay the foundation for the rest of their lives...
The hardest thing I have found over the years is:
Finding psych people that will test your child, and your insurance people will help you find them and then work with them.
I Called Aetnna insurance (we have very good insurance, probably the new name that Congress invented recently was Cadiallic). I discussed in length that I needed psych test to find out what my son's weakness and strengths are? Nothing has changed it was just this hard 15 years ago, 10 years ago and today. Then I ask for a list of who they accept and then called them. Not one on the list gave psych evaluation test?????
I finally asked our medical doctor, and told her what we needed to to please help.
It took her four weeks - a month to find someone???
Forget speech or early intervention for you little young parents.
Posted by: Benedetta | October 20, 2009 at 10:27 AM
The governments role in this process should become more concerned with the safety measures of these vaccines and if many of these vaccines are so very neccessary. This report is over eleven years old and the Vaccination Injury Program is well over twenty years old. How many children need to become brain injured or die before this government stops finding ways to raise money for a Democrat or Republican candidate or representative position and deny injured children,compensation!
Sincerely,
Elizabeth A. Rawnsley
[email protected]
PEDIATRICS Vol. 101 No. 3 March 1998, pp. 383-387
Acute Encephalopathy Followed by Permanent Brain Injury or Death Associated With Further Attenuated Measles Vaccines: A Review of Claims Submitted to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
Received Jul 30, 1997; accepted Sep 23, 1997.
Robert E. Weibel*, Vito Caserta*, David E. Benor, and Geoffrey Evans*
From the * Division of Vaccine Injury Compensation, National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, Health Resources and Services Administration, Public Health Service, Rockville, Maryland; and the Office of the General Counsel, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, Maryland.
Objective. To determine if there is evidence for a causal relationship between acute encephalopathy followed by permanent brain injury or death associated with the administration of further attenuated measles vaccines (Attenuvax or Lirugen, Hoechst Marion Roussel, Kansas City, MO), mumps vaccine (Mumpsvax, Merck and Co, Inc, West Point, PA), or rubella vaccines (Meruvax or Meruvax II, Merck and Co, Inc, West Point, PA), combined measles and rubella vaccine (M-R-Vax or M-R-Vax II, Merck and Co, Inc, West Point, PA), or combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (M-M-R or M-M-R II, Merck and Co, Inc, West Point, PA), the lead author reviewed claims submitted to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.
Methods. The medical records of children who met the inclusion criteria of receiving the first dose of these vaccines between 1970 and 1993 and who developed such an encephalopathy with no determined cause within 15 days were identified and analyzed.
Results. A total of 48 children, ages 10 to 49 months, met the inclusion criteria after receiving measles vaccine, alone or in combination. Eight children died, and the remainder had mental regression and retardation, chronic seizures, motor and sensory deficits, and movement disorders. The onset of neurologic signs or symptoms occurred with a nonrandom, statistically significant distribution of cases on days 8 and 9. No cases were identified after the administration of monovalent mumps or rubella vaccine.
Conclusions. This clustering suggests that a causal relationship between measles vaccine and encephalopathy may exist as a rare complication of measles immunization.
Key words: measles vaccine, encephalopathy, encephalitis.
Posted by: Elizabeth Rawnsley | October 20, 2009 at 09:44 AM