One of the best moments in the health care summit held at Blair House yesterday was when Illinois Senator Dick Durbin suggested to his Republican colleagues that they drop out of the Federal Employees Health Program if they were so disturbed at the Democrats pursuing a socialist plot to take over health care.
The reason was simple--the government forces rules on private companies in the Federal health program that are similar to rules proposed in health care reform. If you think the system is so dreadful, get out of it. I don't believe any one took him up on that.
Durbin identified a basic hypocrisy in play that is difficult for Republican opponents of health reform to deny. But he should come to Missouri if he wants to see hypocrisy elevated to a high art.
Insurance requirements racing through the legislature
One of the first bills taken up by the Missouri legislature this year, and one that has broad support among Republicans, would require health insurers in the state to cover a very expensive treatment therapy for children under 21 diagnosed with autism. This bill is going to pass--both parties support it and so does the governor. The only question is how much insurers will be required to cover; it could be as high as $55,000 per year.
A child might receive this intensive treatment for 15 years or more, meaning in today's dollars insurance companies may have to pay more than $750,000 to care for a child. About 1% of children born today are diagnosed with autism, so this could become a very costly mandate.
Now, I think this is appropriate legislation. A diagnosis of autism is devastating, and the average family can easily be bankrupted trying to pay for the sort of care that can really make a difference in a child's life. Premiums will have to rise to cover this treatment, but the idea of insurance is that we all share in risk.
But here is the hypocrisy
Republicans in our state are racing to pass this legislation, but doesn't this seem odd for Republicans? After all, here we have the government telling a private insurance company what they must do, no questions asked, even going so far as to designate how much coverage they must provide and what exact type of therapy must be paid for.
Can you say "government control of health care"?
Yet, there is virtually no serious questioning of this proposal. It's sponsored by members of the Republican leadership, among others. But do you think these same representatives and senators would petition our state's Republican senator or congressmen to back health care reform as proposed by the president?
Not a chance.
If you think about it, the hypocrisy runs even deeper. The state will require companies to provide this coverage, but what about families who can't afford health insurance and aren't eligible for Medicaid or Medicare? Guess they are totally out in the cold.
So what gives? Well, I did a little digging and found out. I wrote to my state representative, Jean Kirkton (D-97), from Webster Groves. Rep. Kirkton is a responsive and thoughtful legislator who responded promptly to my inquiry when I asked her to explain the mystery of how Republicans could support this bill.
As I suspected, some top Republicans have had firsthand experience in their own families in dealing with autism. They have felt the pain and the burden first hand. Amazing how that radicalizes a person, isn't it?
So what's the difference when it comes to universal health care?
There isn't any difference. The principle of universal health care is that you can't be denied heath insurance coverage no matter what your medical condition. Left to their own devices, health insurance companies routinely exclude people with "pre-existing conditions." One of those conditions in Missouri right now is autism, which companies won't even cover at all. So as a society, we step forward and say that they must. It's no different when it comes to coverage of other kinds of health care.
A diagnosis of autism is catastrophic and costly. So is a diagnosis of coronary artery disease, or MS, or leukemia. And if you can't pay for health insurance or for your own care, or it's a pre-existing condition for you, it's no different from what happens with autism.
I wrote to my state senator, Eric Schmitt, who is a Republican, to ask him about this issue and to explain the apparent irony. He is one of the co-sponsors of the legislation. While Rep. Kirkton responded to me almost immediately; I have yet to hear from the good senator. It's been more than two weeks.
Maybe he's a very busy guy. Or maybe he simply can't answer the question.
I hope, for your sake, that you never have to face the misfortune of having family members who are
on the autism spectrum.
Don't you know how vastly important EARLY INTERVENTION is?
Don't you know that ABA and other proven therapies, when administered, will giveb these kids the chance to have productive lives and become tax paying adults?
Don't you know that the majority of families cannot pay for the needed therapies to address the above
I would suggests you do your homework.
Posted by: Tanya Palmer | 02/27/2010 at 08:22 AM