Autism Recovery Foundation Chairman Randall Bachman testified in front of the Minnesota House Health and Human Services Policy Committee hearing on January 30th on behalf of HF 181, a bill to mandate coverage of IEBIT in Minnesota. Bachman’s testimony was heard among from family members, advocates, and Representative Kim Norton, chief author of the bill in the MN House of Representatives. The bill passed the Health and Human Services Policy Committee and will move on for further committee review.
The following is Bachman’s full testimony submitted to today’s hearing:
Representative Liebling, members of the committee: My name is Randall Bachman, and I am the Executive Director of AXIS Healthcare in St. Paul, and I live in Afton, Minnesota. I am also the volunteer Chairperson for the Autism Recovery Foundation, and the Public Policy Chairperson for the Autism Treatment Association of Minnesota. I was the former Director of the Social Services Division in Olmsted County, and the State Director of Substance Abuse and Mental Health in Utah, and served eight years on the Rochester School Board. I have also worked in the field of early childhood, and have a long-standing interest in children with special needs, and specifically children with autism.
I strongly support HF 181. As Dr. Wasmer informed you yesterday, 33 states now require coverage for applied behavioral analysis for autism. It is time Minnesota to do the same.
The Autism Recovery Foundation was formed by parents, providers and advocates who believe that every child and family with autism should have access to effective, evidence-based early intervention and treatment. We believe there is a growing body of evidence in support of effective early identification, and treatment, and that with that treatment, some children do recover to the point they can be mainstreamed with their typical peers.
A recent National Institute of Health study led by Dr. Deborah Fein revealed that some children who are accurately diagnosed in early childhood with autism no longer met the criteria for the diagnosis at a later date. While we acknowledge that at present not all children can recover from autism, we know that recovery does occur. We also know that with intensive early intervention and with ongoing treatment and supports, many children make substantial gains in functioning.
In reference to Dr. Fein’s study and others, Dr. Sally Ozonoff, editor of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry asserts in a recent editorial:
“…recovery won’t be possible for everyone. No, recovery is not the only outcome worth fighting for. But it is high time we, as a scientific field, talked seriously about this as a possibility…..hope can be a powerful tool. By demonstrating that there is solid science behind hope, we can add fuel to the urgency for very early diagnosis and intensive treatment of ASD.”
Hope can be a powerful tool. While we do not want to give false hope that every child with ASD will be indistinguishable from their typical peers, we can assert that with effective early intervention and treatment, and with ongoing supports, families can experience an improvement in functioning in their child, and society can benefit from inclusion of what these and other children with disabilities have to offer.
The treatment and management of children with ASD is a joint societal responsibility. For too long we have been bouncing these children and families like hot potatoes from mental health to developmental disabilities to education to social services to private and public insurance. Requiring private insurance coverage will not be the total answer, as we must review and protect what we have in medical assistance and other public payer systems. Still, private insurance has a role, and it is my belief that if all plans were required to provide coverage then the burden would be equally shared. Yesterday you learned from Dr. Wasmer that the average per member per month cost by adding an autism benefit was 31 cents. Considering the long-term benefit of effective treatment, isn’t this modest investment worth it?
Thank You.
Follow the bill’s progress and learn more on how you can help on our Facebook page.
Posted: January 31, 2013 by autismr4
ARF Testifies for HF: 181 Autism Mandate
The following is Bachman’s full testimony submitted to today’s hearing:
Representative Liebling, members of the committee: My name is Randall Bachman, and I am the Executive Director of AXIS Healthcare in St. Paul, and I live in Afton, Minnesota. I am also the volunteer Chairperson for the Autism Recovery Foundation, and the Public Policy Chairperson for the Autism Treatment Association of Minnesota. I was the former Director of the Social Services Division in Olmsted County, and the State Director of Substance Abuse and Mental Health in Utah, and served eight years on the Rochester School Board. I have also worked in the field of early childhood, and have a long-standing interest in children with special needs, and specifically children with autism.
I strongly support HF 181. As Dr. Wasmer informed you yesterday, 33 states now require coverage for applied behavioral analysis for autism. It is time Minnesota to do the same.
The Autism Recovery Foundation was formed by parents, providers and advocates who believe that every child and family with autism should have access to effective, evidence-based early intervention and treatment. We believe there is a growing body of evidence in support of effective early identification, and treatment, and that with that treatment, some children do recover to the point they can be mainstreamed with their typical peers.
A recent National Institute of Health study led by Dr. Deborah Fein revealed that some children who are accurately diagnosed in early childhood with autism no longer met the criteria for the diagnosis at a later date. While we acknowledge that at present not all children can recover from autism, we know that recovery does occur. We also know that with intensive early intervention and with ongoing treatment and supports, many children make substantial gains in functioning.
In reference to Dr. Fein’s study and others, Dr. Sally Ozonoff, editor of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry asserts in a recent editorial:
“…recovery won’t be possible for everyone. No, recovery is not the only outcome worth fighting for. But it is high time we, as a scientific field, talked seriously about this as a possibility…..hope can be a powerful tool. By demonstrating that there is solid science behind hope, we can add fuel to the urgency for very early diagnosis and intensive treatment of ASD.”
Hope can be a powerful tool. While we do not want to give false hope that every child with ASD will be indistinguishable from their typical peers, we can assert that with effective early intervention and treatment, and with ongoing supports, families can experience an improvement in functioning in their child, and society can benefit from inclusion of what these and other children with disabilities have to offer.
The treatment and management of children with ASD is a joint societal responsibility. For too long we have been bouncing these children and families like hot potatoes from mental health to developmental disabilities to education to social services to private and public insurance. Requiring private insurance coverage will not be the total answer, as we must review and protect what we have in medical assistance and other public payer systems. Still, private insurance has a role, and it is my belief that if all plans were required to provide coverage then the burden would be equally shared. Yesterday you learned from Dr. Wasmer that the average per member per month cost by adding an autism benefit was 31 cents. Considering the long-term benefit of effective treatment, isn’t this modest investment worth it?
Thank You.
Follow the bill’s progress and learn more on how you can help on our Facebook page.
Category: News Tags: ARF Testimony, HF 181, Minnesota Autism Mandate