Comments on: Insurance Companies Refuse Autism Coverage

Total Cost For A Child Can Reach $5 Million, But Few States Mandate Coverage; Is Change On The Horizon?

[cs4466]

Right, Susan. What's the reason to push out babies on the nose at 9 months? Push out one, start another. A little common sense... wait a year or two then have another so that you don't run into the same problem these people did. It's just common sense - something many, many parents simply do not have.

[babooph]

The insurance company does not refuse all payments-the multi million dollar ceo salary ,private jets ,luxury outings are cleared very fast ,no questions asked.

[didserve]

Get Insurance out of Health Care!

[RLS1024]

Then what?

[rhs648]

Too many people think that universal health insurance or national health insurance will cover everything and solve all of our problems. Do people realize that it took around 40 years to add a prescription benefit to medicare and that was done under President George Bush? Recipients of health care through the Veterans insurance program and medicaid often complain that the don't receive the best care under those programs. Even some military personell complain that their care is sometimes inadequate. These are programs administered by the government that have been around for years. Be careful of what you wish for.

[SusanStoHelit]

Universal health coverage would be a good start.

That said - I think this article is kinda disingenuous - 40 hours a week of therapy? What are the parents doing - nothing? Most types of therapy I've seen involve the parents, you have some time with the therapist with the kid, and they give the parents homework to continue the theme. Every other day should be plenty with that. I think they're trying to exaggerate the difficulties here.

I say this as someone with a child receiving therapy - for a far more minor problem (speech delay) - and I get 1 hour once a week - the rest is me and her father at home. This is a far worse problem - but I just can't imagine 40 hours a week being useful even - no way is all of this something the parent completely cannot do even for a day or so on their own.

[SusanStoHelit]

We do indeed.

Universal health care, like every other civilized country has had for decades. Covers all those here legally, for appropriate medical care, selected by scientific and medical standards that determine what treatments are the most cost effective solutions to diseases, what is a necessity, and what is a luxury (plastic surgery for a pretty nose is a luxury - plastic surgery for a deformed nose causing breathing difficulties is a necessity).

There is no enormous expense - in every country that has enacted this, their costs are drastically LESS than ours - even while our health care patchwork covers only a fraction of our citizens and theirs covers everyone. Unless Americans are somehow considered to be that much stupider than EVERY OTHER CIVILIZED NATION - I think we can manage to do the same thing. The costs will be lower - we'll save money that currently goes to pay insurance executives to find more new ways to deny coverage.

[SusanStoHelit]

They didn't know that - autism wasn't diagnosed until he was 2 and several months. So - they are not the stupid ones. People who cannot read and look for excuses to bash others - that's the stupid people.

[salmoc44]

50% of Republicans support a public health plan.
Even more Democrats support a public health plan.
The fact that this will probably not happen just shows us who really runs America. It's not the people.

[cs4466]

"Their third child, Korlan, is also autistic."

Amazingly ignorant. STOP HAVING CHILDREN YOU STUPID, STUPID people!

[SusanStoHelit]

They didn't know that - autism wasn't diagnosed until he was 2 and several months. So - they are not the stupid ones. People who cannot read and look for excuses to bash others - that's the stupid people.

[cs4466]

Right, Susan. What's the reason to push out babies on the nose at 9 months? Push out one, start another. A little common sense... wait a year or two then have another so that you don't run into the same problem these people did. It's just common sense - something many, many parents simply do not have.

[riob678]

Let's first define 'universal.' Does it mean every person legally residing in the US would be covered? Would those here illegally, but gainfully employed be covered? Or, would only those who are US citizens be covered. Second, about scope of the coverage. Will every disease, syndrome, medication, herb, licensed practitioners of all sorts, assistive devices such as corrective lenses, hearing instruments, prosthetic limbs, cosmetic procedures, ad infinitum, be covered. Third, by what means is the enormous expense of a universal program going to be funded?