how about Sen. for President?

[Guest guest]

http://johnedwards.com/issues/health-care/autism/index.html

Promise And Potential: A Plan For Autism

" Autism affects families from every walk of life. Sometimes I talk

about the Two Americas – but when it comes to fighting for families

affected by autism and autism spectrum disorders, we must come

together as One America to deliver on our national promise – helping

every child realize their full potential. " --

Autism and autism spectrum disorders affect an astonishing 1 in 150

children. More children than ever before – a 700 percent increase

over the last decade – are being classified as having an autism

spectrum disorder. We need to learn more about why the number of

children diagnosed with autism and autism spectrum disorders has been

growing. We know that early intervention is often crucial to helping

children with these diagnoses reach their full potential, but the

education and health care resources needed to help them and their

families are strained to capacity. For families, caring for a child

with autism can be expensive and emotionally draining. While Congress

took an important step last year by dedicating more than $900 million

to address autism over the next five years, more can and must be

done. [iDEAData, 2005; CDC, 2007]

believes every child deserves the opportunity to reach

his or her potential. Helping everyone reach personal independence

and assume social responsibilities is a responsibility we all share.

His Promise and Potential plan will:

Guarantee quality affordable health care for families living with

autism – ending insurance discrimination.

Help unravel of mysteries of autism by issuing an all-hands-on-deck

research challenge.

Fund schools so they can provide essential services.

Strengthen supports for families dealing with the diagnosis.

Ensure a continuum of care with lifelong supportive services.

Guarantee True Universal Health Care

We have two health care systems in this country today – one for

families who can afford the very best care and one for everyone else.

has proposed a detailed plan to take on the big insurance

companies and HMOs and guarantee that every American can get the care

they need, when they need it. As president, he will help guarantee

coverage of autism care in Medicaid and under private insurance.

' plan will also create " advanced medical homes " – doctors and

health care providers that will ensure children have regular

pediatrician visits and increase the likelihood that developmental

disabilities will be diagnosed, and addressed, sooner. [AAP, 2001]

An All-Hands-on-Deck Research Challenge

We do not know enough about the causes of autism and autism spectrum

disorders. In the Senate, was a leader in supporting research

funding and promoting awareness for Fragile X Syndrome, which has

been identified as a cause of autism and autism spectrum disorders.

As president, he will issue an all-hands-on deck research challenge

to unravel autism's mysteries and follow wherever the science takes

us.

Fund Special Education so Students with Autism Can Excel

Special education funds have not kept pace with the rising number of

children with autism and too often, schools must make difficult

choices between competing priorities. will put the federal

government on a steady path to full funding of its share of the

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. will strengthen

the workforce serving children with autism – investing more in

recruiting, training and sufficiently paying teachers, therapists,

psychologists and others working in the special education field.

Ensure a Continuum of Care with Lifelong Supportive Services

Government education services for people with disabilities end at age

21, even though the need does not, especially for many of those with

autism. Thus, families are left to care for their adult children with

disabilities largely on their own. will work to develop

ongoing adult education vocational and recreational programs for

those with autism. ' plans for reforming the U.S. Department

of Housing and Urban Development and strengthening federal housing

policy will expand the supply of affordable supportive housing for

people with disabilities, including adults living with autism.

Support Families Living with Autism

Autism affects families, not just individuals. Local communities and

nonprofit groups have done all they can to provide social support

systems that are so important for many families with autism. We need

to study which support models are effective, make sure health care

providers know what works and help public-private partnerships

replicate their success. Enormous burdens are placed on ordinary

Americans who provide care for loved ones with disabilities like

autism. As president, will support respite care services that

provide home visits from nurses or other aides to give caregivers

much-needed breaks and establish an Internet clearinghouse and

education services to give families more information about available

services.

Statement On Bush's Veto Of Children's Health Care Legislation

Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Senator released the

following statement following President Bush's veto of legislation to

provide health care to uninsured children:

" Today, we have witnessed for a second time President Bush turn his

back on health care for children. Rather than fight for the health

and welfare of our children, Bush has decided to defend the status

quo in Washington – a status quo that leaves countless of families

and children without the affordable health care they need.

" There's something very wrong when in a country of so much wealth,

our president has chosen to ignore the 9 million American children –

including nearly 50,000 in Iowa – who lack health care.

" President Bush's second veto of the S-CHIP bill just goes to show

why it's so important that our next president has the strength and

courage to stand up and fight the lobbyists and special interests who

have stood in the way of truly universal health care for decades.

" This has to stop. When I am president, I will unite the nation in an

effort for truly universal health care where no family or child is

left behind, and I will not rest until every American has the

quality, affordable health care they deserve. That is the One America

I believe in, and that is the America I will fight for when I am

president

Announces Plan To Take On Health Insurance Companies To Help

Families

As part of " America Belongs to Us " week, calls for stronger

insurance laws to prevent abuse and ensure American families can get

the care they need

Manchester, NH – In New Hampshire today as part of " America Belongs

to Us " week, Senator unveiled his proposals to take on

health insurance companies and highlighted why he is the one

candidate the American people can trust to stand up to the big

corporations who have used their money and lobbyists to rig the

system in Washington at the expense of hardworking American families.

called for stronger insurance laws to prevent abuses and

ensure that everyone can get the insurance they need, strengthening

enforcement of insurance rules, and the creation of more competition

and choice in insurance markets.

" The American health care system is broken, " said . " Even

families with insurance are often unprotected from catastrophic

events, as insurers fight legitimate claims, impose coverage caps,

and look for technicalities to cancel policies. Half of families

entering bankruptcy today are driven by high medical costs.

" I have spent my entire life battling special interest groups to

protect the rights of regular Americans. In courtrooms, I stood with

families who needed a voice against armies of insurance company

lawyers. In the Senate, I championed the Patients' Bill of Rights to

fight managed care and insurance company abuses. I've seen first-hand

how far too often health insurance companies will put profit and

executive bonuses above the medical needs of their customers.

" Last week, Governor Romney proposed even further deregulation of the

health insurance industry – a plan that could lead to even more

insured Americans without the care they need. This is clearly the

wrong approach. We need tough new insurance laws to prevent abuses

and ensure that Americans are no longer on their own against

insurance companies. "

Under the ' plan, insurance companies will be required to sell

insurance to everyone, regardless of their preexisting conditions,

and prevented from denying coverage after a condition develops.

will put a stop to the practice of charging more to

individuals with certain occupations or with pre-existing conditions,

and will set national accounting standards requiring insurers to

spend at least 85 percent of their premiums on patient care.

will empower consumers by forcing insurance companies to be more

honest and transparent about what they will ultimately cover and

making sure all insurers guarantee comprehensive benefits.

also called for an updated bill of rights for patients and providers.

To strengthen oversight and maintaining insurer accountability,

will create Health Care Markets and offer advocates to help

patients negotiate with insurance companies. And to increase

competition and stop insurance company monopolies, will block

mergers that could hurt consumers, doctors and hospitals. Also, his

new public insurance plan will increase competitive pressures on

private insurers to hold down their costs and deliver better

coverage.

' proposals for taking on the insurance companies are part of

the " America Belongs to Us " week, in which he will lay out detailed

policy proposals to address specific issues that matter that matter

most for American families, including the rising cost of home heating

oil, protecting our children from unsafe toys and ensuring access to

safe and affordable prescription drugs.

For further details on plan to take on health insurance

companies, please see the " Taking on Health Insurance Companies to

Help Families " paper included below.