Autism in Washington Advocacy Alert!

We are ramping up our grassroots efforts for the Autism Treatment Acceleration Act (ATAA) (S. 819 and H.R. 2413) and need your immediate attention and support on this issue!

Here is How YOU Can Help:

1. NEITHER OF OUR SENATORS HAVE SIGNED ONTO THE ATAA YET! CALL BOTH OF YOUR SENATORS AND ASK THEM TO CO-SPONSOR THE ATAA (Senate Bill 819)! To date neither of the Senators from Washington have signed onto this bill that will provide appropriate insurance coverage for all the children with autism. We need you to call both Sen. Patty Murray and Sen. Maria Cantwell. We are asking you to make a special effort to secure the support of Sen. Murray, who sits on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

> Sen. Patty Murray
Phone: (202) 224-2621
> Sen. Maria Cantwell
Phone: (202) 224-3441

2. CALL YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS AND ASK THEM TO CO-SPONSOR THE ATAA (H.R. 2413)! Unfortunately, many House Representatives have not yet become a cosponsor of this bill. Please call your Representative and ask them to cosponsor this bill today!

(Note: to find out who your Representative is, you can look them up HERE)

Not sure of what to say? It's easy! Just say this:

"Hi! My name is ____________. I am a constituent of yours and live in (City). I am calling to ask you to cosponsor the Autism Treatment Acceleration Act (give the appropriate bill number - Senate is S. 819 and House is H.R. 2413). We tried to pass similar legislation to this in our state this year, but we need your help to end autism insurance discrimination. Thank you so much."

> Once you have completed your call, you can send emails to your Congressional members HERE!

3. FORWARD THIS INFORMATION TO 20 OTHER PEOPLE THAT CAN HELP YOU! If you have ever heard someone say, "I wish there was something we could do to help (insert your child's name here)!", now they can. It is a cost effective way to truly help your child and the other children with autism not only in your state, but nationwide.


Background information on the ATAA:
• The Autism Treatment Acceleration Act was first drafted by former Senator Barack Obama and released just before the election in 2008
• When Obama became President, he passed this bill along to his Illinois Senate colleague, Sen. Richard Durbin, to introduce
• Original Senate sponsors are Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), Senator Robert Casey (D-PA), Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
• Original House sponsors are Representatives Mike Doyle (D-PA), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Eliot Engel (D-NY), and Hank Johnson (D-GA)
• The ATAA was introduced in the Senate on April 2, 2009 (World Autism Awareness Day) and in the House on May 14, 2009

Summary of the ATAA:

• Demonstration Project - Creates a demonstration project to develop Autism Care Centers in order to increase access to quality health care services and communication among healthcare providers, educators, and other providers of services; enable beneficiaries to designate a personal primary care coordinator as a source of contact for a family; and provide a full array of medical, behavioral, mental health, educational and family care services to individuals and families in a single location.

• Adult Services Demonstration Project - Creates a demonstration project to provide an array of services to adults with autism spectrum disorders including: post secondary education, vocational and self advocacy skills, employment; residential services, supports and housing; nutrition, health and wellness; recreational and social activities; and transportation and personal safety.

• Registry (Senate bill only) - Establishes a voluntary population-based autism spectrum disorders case registry to help understand the root causes, rates, and trends of autism.

• Public Education and Awareness Campaign - Develops a national multimedia campaign to increase public education and awareness about healthy developmental milestones and autism throughout the lifespan. Campaigns will be targeted at a general public audience or specific audiences such as medical, criminal justice, or emergency professionals.

• Interdepartmental Coordinating Committee - Establishes an Interdepartmental Coordinating Committee to coordinate and advise on government activities relating to research, services, and programs for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Members will include representatives from relevant governmental agencies (Dept. of Health and Human Services, Dept. of Education, etc) and members representing individuals with autism, parents, service providers, and advocacy groups.

• National Network for Autism Spectrum Disorders Research and Services - Establishes a National Network in order to strengthen linkages between research and service initiatives at the federal, regional, state and local levels, and facilitate the translation of research on autism into services and treatments that will improve the quality of life for individuals with autism and their families. A national data repository will be created to share emerging data, findings, and treatment models.

• National Training Initiative - Creates a national training initiative on autism and a technical assistance center to develop and expand interdisciplinary training and continuing education on autism spectrum disorders.

• Insurance Coverage - Requires that health insurers cover the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders, including Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy and assistive communication devices.
   • This section is based on the Autism Speaks model insurance reform bill that has been used to craft bills in states across the country
   • The bill currently has no age cap, dollar cap, or cap on the number of visits to a therapy provider
   • The bill covers diagnosis of autism, as well as the following treatments:
      o Medications prescribed by a physician and any health-related services necessary to determine the need or effectiveness of the medications
      o Occupational therapy
      o Physical therapy
      o Speech therapy
      o Services provided by a psychiatrist or psychologist
      o Professional, counseling, and guidance services and treatment programs, including applied behavior analysis and other structured behavioral programs, communication devices and other assistive technology devices
   • If passed, this federal bill will supersede all state laws and become the “floor” requirement for all insurance companies. However, a state may pass a law that enhances this federal law, going above and beyond what the federal law offers
   • While state laws can only apply to fully-funded health plans, this bill will apply to all fully-funded and self-funded individual and group health plans, including state and local government plans (state and local government plans that are self-funded can opt-out of the requirement. This is true of current requirements, such as mental health parity)
   • The House bill specifically applies to the Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan (FEHBP) and TRICARE 

Stay up to date on the latest legislative news:

• Visit www.autismvotes.org for the most current information regarding autism legislative issues.
• Sign up to receive Autism Speaks Advocacy Alerts

Local Efforts

Many insurance companies do not cover autism treatment forcing many families into poverty in order to help their children function in our world.  To find out more about what the local community is doing to try to bring parity to insurance coverage in Washington check out www.waautisminsurance.org.