WTF? The Autism Society is endorsing VOUCHERS for Medicaid???!!!!

[PA Democrat]

I am steaming mad. Today I received an email asking for a donation to help lobby for the Autism Society's Medicaid reform recommendations. I wanted to see what they were proposing before donating any money and almost fell off my chair when I read they are supporting VOUCHERS.

Here is the text :

Transition to a voucher based system for providing Medicaid Services. Vouchers
allow individuals to purchase healthcare on the private market and therefore
significantly reduce administrative costs, eliminate the issue of fraud and abuse, solves
the issue of portability, and allows the federal government to better control
expenditures. It also ensures that current Medicaid patients will not face the reduced
access for the increasingly limited supply of healthcare professionals willing to accept
Medicaid reimbursement rates.

http://www.autism-society.org/news/autism-society-deficit-reduction-position-statement-memo-to-congress.pdf

I wrote to them stating they can cancel my membership because they will not get one more stinking cent from me if they support vouchers.

[Ian David]

1. I wonder who is astroturfing them? n/t

[mmonk]

3. Maybe some Doctors are telling them they can't accept them

anymore due to Medicaid cuts.

[PA Democrat]

7. I think that is the case in some states, since each state

administers its own Medicaid program and there is a wide range of reimbursement rates and quality in the individual states' programs.

My fear is that vouchers will not improve the situation and that the voucher will not cover the entire cost, or that gradually, vouchers will not keep up with the cost of privatized plans.

[defendandprotect]

15. Good question ... !!

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

4. I notice the voucher thing is buried way down

under #7.

I wonder if the whole donor base and membership will notice, and I am sure they will share your outrage if so.

[pitohui]

10. i wouldn't be so sure that they will share outrage

i know a political wife involved with the cause, and both wife and husband are raving wingnuts

we make a huge mistake when we assume that for a wingnut/rightwing extremist, their children are more important than MONEY

she sees an opportunity here and she plans to pad her pocketbook with the opportunity, i pity the child but he is just a "prop" -- i don't know how the vouchers will help her but since vouchers still money from the public purse to put into private hands i'm guessing kickbacks are involved somewhere

these people don't have the same ability to sympathize w. others that you or i would have, i guess they figure if you're going to have an autistic child, it's your own irresponsible choice if you have a child before you became a millionaire

and her husband inherited his money, they didn't work for anything, it's all scams and connections

it would have been better if he had just been happy to party w. the money, rather than his choice to actively turn his money and talents to "small government" and stealing from poor people (the rest of us) to make himself even richer

[mmonk]

14. I have always said that any parent that supports the American rightwing

and they have children with special needs is guilty of child abuse.

[PA Democrat]

5. Pennsylvania privatized Medicaid years ago and the only improvements were to the PROFITS

of the insurance companies that took over the state program. Children with autism could receive "wraparound" services under the state run program based upon their level of functioning. The program was meant to enable people with autism to live in community, and wraparound programs focused on teaching functional skills to keep children in the home. Services were ended when certain outcomes were achieved.

Now that the private insurance companies have taken over, wraparound services are limited to a set time period regardless of outcomes.

Aren't corporate profits GRAND?

[Nederland]

6. Support for vouchers is common in cases like this

People very often support voucher arrangements when they feel like not enough money is being spent on what they feel is important, or they perceive that the money that is being spent is being spent unwisely. They may start out trying to work within the system to change the amount of money or how the money is spent, but if they are continually frustrated by lack of change they may eventually "give up" on the system and opt for an arrangement like vouchers that gives them more control over where and how money is spent. This exactly what led many urban parents--who are normally Democrats--to support voucher systems for schools. They simply got sick of waiting for things to improve. I suspect parents with Autistic kids may feel the same way.

[Trillo]

8. Are vouchers "derivatives"? NT

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

9. if these people think that a voucher system will

make lifetime care for a autistic person cheaper, they have no business being in charge of a national autism organization, imho.

[pitohui]

11. they know it won't make care cheaper, they figure it will divert money into their pockets

EOM

[blue neen]

12. I wonder if it's a case of "follow the money".

One can only speculate who and what are behind this push for vouchers.

Time to do some research...

K & R.

[mmonk]

18. Let me know what you come up with.

This is an imporatant issue. I may start a petition drive among families within the autistic community.

[Odin2005]

13. WTF? I'm an autistic person on medicaid, what kind of crap is this?

[Honeycombe8]

16. Is this national or some particular state? I think Medicaid is by state.

The fed just gives block money to each state for Medicaid use. ???

[kiranon]

17. Have 2 autistic children and haven't heard of the Autism Society.

[eridani]

19. Probably astroturf

I'm sure some engaged DUer with get to the bottom of this.

[eShirl]

20. Autism Society "About Us" page

http://www.autism-society.org/about-us/

says they've been around since the sixties

[eridani]

21. IRS reports

http://www.autism-society.org/about-us/financial-information/

Can someone check these folks out in detail?

[Spider Jerusalem]

22. They also support anti-vaccine nuttery

[Ian David]

23. Jack's Fourth Show: How anti-vaccine groups rebrand themselves as legitimate autism charities

Jack's Fourth Show: How anti-vaccine groups rebrand themselves as legitimate autism charities
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2009/09/how_anti-vaccine_groups_rebrand_them.php

[Odin2005]

25. Yup, they are a bunch of nutters that think I'm "broken". Fuck that shit.

[Ian David]

24. Here are two LEGITIMATE Autism groups

The National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders is a multi-university center to promote the use of evidence-based practice for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. The Center operates through three sites that include the FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the M.I.N.D. Institute at University of California at Davis Medical School, and the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Each year, three states are selected through a competitive application process for a two-year partnership with the Professional Development Center. The Center works in coordination with each state’s Department of Education, Part C agency, and University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities to provide professional development to teachers and practitioners who serve individuals from birth through twenty-two years with autism spectrum disorders.
http://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/

The Autism Internet Modules were developed with one aim in mind: to make comprehensive, up-to-date, and usable information on autism accessible and applicable to educators, other professionals, and families who support individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Written by experts from across the U.S., all online modules are free, and are designed to promote understanding of, respect for, and equality of persons with ASD.
http://www.autisminternetmodules.org/