Call for SB1900 today!

[Guest guest]

SB1900 -- hearing THURSDAY!

Call your State Senator tomorrow March 12, 2008

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Illinois Senate Bill 1900 is our top priority this year. SB1900 will

provide up to $36,000 per year of coverage for kids with autism. The bill is

up for hearing on Thursday, March 13 at 10:30 a.m. in Capitol room 400 in

Springfield before the Senate Public Health Committee.

Please call your state senator and ask him/her to co-sponsor SB1900.

Here are the 19 senators who are already co-sponsors:

Sen. A. DeLeo, Chief Sponsor

Don Harmon

D. Maloney

Carole Pankau

Dan Cronin

Pamela J. Althoff

Garrett

J. Millner

Iris Y. ez

Holmes

Ira I. Silverstein

Forby

Steans

Y.

M. Maggie Crotty

Mattie Hunter

Terry Link

Koehler

Frerichs

If your Senator is not already on this list, please call them today and ask

them to join as a co-sponsor.

It's easy; here are 4 simple steps:

1. Click here (HYPERLINK

" http://www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/AddressSearch.aspx " http://www.e

lections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/AddressSearch.aspx) to find your State

Senator.

* Reminder: you have one state senator (and they aren't Obama or Durbin)

2. Call your State Senator at his/her SPRINGFIELD office today or tomorrow.

You can also call the Capitol switchboard at 217-782-2000 and ask to be

connected to your senator's office.

3. Tell them (or their assistant) these 5 things:

(1) " My name is _______ and I am a constituent " (you may be asked for

address/phone)

(2) " I am a parent of a child with autism "

(3) " Please CO-SPONSOR SB1900. " (saying they'll " vote for it " is NOT the

same as co-sponsoring the bill)

(4) Tell your personal experience, especially if you have been denied

coverage (please be brief).

(5) Tell them what the bill does:

* helps relieve the financial burden on families

* provides therapies that work, including ABA, which hundreds of studies

have shown to be effective--but only 10% of kids with autism receive this

therapy!

* reduces costs to government, too (which spends millions on AllKids and

other programs for our kids, and pays $150,000 per person per year in

institutions)

* autism coverage is NOT that expensive to insurers (it is a capped benefit

and will not affect enough people in the state to result in significant

premium increases across the insurance market)

* add a personal story about insurance difficulties you have experienced

that would be resolved by this bill.

4. Send me an email (HYPERLINK

" mailto:ckennedy@... " mailto:ckennedy@...) and let me

know how your Senator responded to your call.

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Click here to view SB 1900 (HYPERLINK

" http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=1900 & GAID=9 & GA=95 & Doc

TypeID=SB & LegID=34689 & SessionID=51 " http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/billstatu

s.asp?DocNum=1900 & GAID=9 & GA=95 & DocTypeID=SB & LegID=34689 & SessionID=51)

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Save the dates

MARCH 17: LEGISLATIVE FORUM ON AUTISM - 7:00 P.M. - WHEATON COMMUNITY

CENTER, Sponsored by State Representatives Mike Fortner (HYPERLINK

" http://www.mikefortner.org " www.mikefortner.org) and Franco Coladipietro,

and State Senator Randall Hultgren

APRIL 15: LOBBY DAY for persons with autism and developmental disabilities

at the Capitol in Springfield

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Please take a few minutes to help people with autism access health insurance

coverage and vitally needed therapies.

Thank you,

Kennedy

Chairman, IADD-PAC

HYPERLINK " mailto:ckennedy@... " ckennedy@...

HYPERLINK " http://www.autismpac.org " http://www.autismpac.org

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