“Autism Researcher a GQ "Rock Star of Science" - Medscape News” plus 1 more |
| Autism Researcher a GQ "Rock Star of Science" - Medscape News Posted: 29 Nov 2010 10:55 AM PST In order to use Medscape, your browser must be set to accept cookies delivered by the Medscape site. To find out how to adjust your browser settings to accept cookies, please click here. Medscape uses cookies to customize the site based on the information we collect at registration. The cookies contain no personally identifiable information and have no effect once you leave the Medscape site. You can read more about our use of cookies in our privacy policy. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Next lieutenant governor makes appeal for mandatory autism coverage - Detroit Free Press Posted: 29 Nov 2010 12:11 AM PST The campaign to require Michigan health insurers to cover the cost of treating children with autism is getting an eleventh-hour boost from the man who will assume the office of lieutenant governor Jan. 1 -- state Rep. Brian Calley, R-Portland. Calley, whose 3-year-old daughter has been diagnosed with autism, is scheduled to meet with the Republican caucus in the state Senate when members return this week to the state Capitol. He is urging the Senate (where he will be the presiding officer beginning in January) to approve autism legislation adopted by the House in 2009. But Calley is not speaking for the administration of Gov.-elect Rick Snyder, who is not taking a position on the legislation, a Snyder spokesman said last week. And the legislation, opposed by a broad range of business and labor organizations, remains a long shot for final action in the lame-duck session scheduled to end Thursday. In a five-minute video delivered to lawmakers last week, Calley makes an emotional plea for mandated autism coverage, saying the failure to do so "condemn(s) people -- real people -- to a life of dependency." Calley and other supporters of the legislation, a coalition of health care providers and the public school lobby, claim that early autism treatment would save taxpayers up to $14 billion by relieving the need for long-term care for an estimated 15,000 autistic children in Michigan. Opponents question the accuracy of that estimate and note that the mandate would put an immediate financial burden on employers providing health insurance. Rich Studley, president of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, said "these questions of insurance coverage should be decided in the workplace by employees and employers ... and not by government bureaucrats." Studley said the specific provisions of insurance plans are best determined by those receiving and paying for the benefits. They might decide their resources are better spent on additional pay or pension benefits rather than insurance coverage for autism or mental illness or substance abuse, he said. "No one that works here is unconcerned about autism. And we have a great deal of respect for Brian Calley," Studley said. "But if this is a good idea -- and we think it's not -- it will still be a good idea in February or March. It's not something they should be trying to do in lame duck." The autism legislation would require all insurers to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders under the same conditions and limits applied to physical illnesses. Twenty-three states have adopted some form of autism mandate for insurers, according to the Autism Alliance of Michigan. While some insurers provide autism coverage in Michigan today, much of the treatment for children with the disorder is provided by intermediate school districts as part of special-education programs. Contact Dawson Bell: 517-372-8661 or dbell@freepress.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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