An autism bill that is good but not perfect

[Guest guest]

When you write an email or letter to your respective senator or

assembly person, don't forget to thank she/he for voting for a bill

that should have been passed 10 years ago. And remind them the effort

you took in sending them a personal message about your individual and

personal relationship with autism even though their response was not

personal and said the same thing to everyone which included a

statement which said not to expect a reply.

If you look at the legislative process for this bill you will see the

Senate held the bill hostage until the Assembly agreed to accept the

Senate version with no added amendments. The assembly version

included insurance coverage for children with other impairments other

than autism but that was put aside. Autism parents are now a selected

group.

I understand the argument that it is better to pass something that is

good and not necessarily perfect. Perhaps the word, " good " , is too

strong.

Look at the coverage exclusions. If you don't belong to a group

policy of 50 or more, you are not covered. If you are not part of a

group policy, you are not covered. If you are covered by an employer

who is self-insured and many large employers are self-insured, you

are not covered.

It may be interesting to see how many families are covered or more

importantly, how many are not covered.

Ah, yes. We got our foot in the door. Or was our foot slammed by the

door?

The answer is in the voting booth. Be careful who you vote for in the

Senate at the next election. Be an elephant and don't forget!