Alter. Treatments Law Upheld / School Dist. Sues Calif. for Special Services / Texas FEAT

[Guest guest]

FEAT DAILY ONLINE NEWSLETTER http://www.feat.org

Letters Editor: FEAT@... Archive: http://www.feat.org/listarchive/

M.I.N.D.*: http://mindinstitute.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu

" Healing Autism: No Finer a Cause on the Planet "

____________________________________________________________

WESTERN STATES SUPPLEMENT

Alter. Treatments Law Upheld / School District Sues Calif. for Special

Services / Texas FEAT

Friday, January 14, 2000

http://www.latimes.com/wires/whealth/20000114/tCB00V0414.html

OLYMPIA, Wash.--The Washington Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a

state law requiring health insurance companies to cover such alternative

medical services as chiropractic care, naturopathy and massage therapy.

The court's unanimous decision ended four years of legal challenges

and cleared the way for consumers to get comprehensive health care from any

licensed provider in Washington, Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn said.

" Choice of provider is the biggest single issue in health care, " Senn

said Thursday night.

Health insurers have been fighting the law since its approval in 1996,

saying it will only result in higher costs for carriers, and ultimately,

consumers.

The law requires insurance policies to provide coverage for treatments

and services by every category of licensed health care providers in

Washington, including acupuncturists, chiropractors and certified

dietitians, according to the insurance commissioner's office.

The U.S. Supreme Court last year declined to hear an appeal

challenging the law.

* * *

School District Sues California for Special Services

[Thanks to Steve Koyasako.]

http://www.latimes.com/news/learning/20000113/t000003967.html

LONG BEACH--The Long Beach Unified School District on Wednesday filed

a $10-million lawsuit against the state of California, seeking reimbursement

for the cost of providing certain special education services over the past

19 years.

The claim, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, has to do with

services to disabled children between 3 and 5, and to young adults who are

between 18 and 21. Currently the district serves about 800 people in those

two age groups who are deaf, blind, autistic or have other disabilities.

Spokesman Dick Van Der Laan said the district is not disputing the

need for the services, which are mandatory under state and federal law. But,

he said, since they are state requirements, the state should bear the cost.

Long Beach, along with other school districts, has been battling the state

for years over this issue.

If Long Beach wins its case, the state could be required to repay all

school districts in the state for similar costs. The administration

has agreed to negotiate a settlement in a similar case, which claims school

districts statewide are owed nearly $2 billion.

" The free ride is over, " Van Der Laan said. " We cannot afford to pay

for this and balance the budget each year on the backs of children while the

state accumulates record surpluses. "

* * *

FEAT Central Texas January 27th Meeting

Speaker: King

Topic: Inclusion & the AISD Autism Support Project

Thursday, January 27, 2000

Copperfield Elementary

12135 Tompkins Drive, Pflugerville, TX

RSVP (512) 821-2417

Pizza at 6:30 p.m., Meeting at 7:00 p.m.

$3.00 per family for babysitting

* * *

Out now: The Latest Edition of LOOKING UP, Adam Feinstein's 40-page, Monthly

Autism Newsletter

Just to let you know that the latest edition of my 40-page, monthly

international autism newsletter, LOOKING UP, is out now. It features an

analysis of the most recent findings on genes and autism (including

Professor Sir Rutter); Facilitated Communication - unravelling the

pros from the cons; New tools aimed at screening for early diagnosis of

autism; Autism and employment; Professor Gillberg on autism

and overlapping conditions; Autism and Syndrome (what it's like to

live with a child who has both); Autism and education - the fight goes on;

Autism and blood-groups - an informal survey. ALSO: The world's first

autism-friendly airline? How a great-grandmother rescued an autistic boy

from attack.

PLUS the latest autism research, news and views from around the world.

Directed at both parents and professionals, and with access to

the most up-to-date material in more than a dozen languages, LOOKING UP

aims to provide a lively and informative mix of the latest findings in

autism research from around the world, and articles and anecdotes relating

to autism in the family, education, employment, cinema and the other arts,

politics and society.

For more information, you can go to the LOOKING UP Web site at

http://www.feinst.demon.co.uk/looking-up.html

____________________________________________________________

editor: Lenny Schafer schafer@...

eastern editor: , PhD

newswire culls: Ron Sleith RSleith@... | * Not FEAT

*** WHY YOU MAY WANT TO RECEIVE AT NO COST ***

FEAT's Daily Online Newsletter: Daily we collect features and news

of autism as it breaks. To (un)Register: http://www.feat.org/FEATNews