Supporters of legislation that would require health insurance companies to cover the diagnosis and treatment of autism brought new political pressure Tuesday on Republican leaders in the Oklahoma House to schedule a hearing on the Senate-passed bill.
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Sen. Jay Paul Gumm, who authored the measure known as "Nick's Law," urged GOP House Speaker Chris Benge of Tulsa to offer an alternative to the autism mandate if he is unwilling to allow House members to vote on it. The measure received bipartisan support in the Senate.
"You have given your answer to 'Nick's Law,' and it is 'No.' My question, Mr. Speaker, is: What is your solution?" Gumm states in a letter that was hand-delivered to Benge's office.
"We have placed ours on the table time and again only to be denied even a chance to present it in what is supposed to be 'The People's House'," said Gumm, D-Durant.
A spokeswoman for Benge, Jennifer Mock, said Benge has not yet responded to Gumm's letter.
Meanwhile, Wayne Rohde of Edmond, whose 10-year-old son, Nick Rohde, suffers from autism and is the namesake of Nick's Law, urged lawmakers to schedule a vote on the measure. Rohde and other supporters have said the bill would pass the 101-member House if House members had an opportunity to vote.
"We just want an up-or-down vote in the House of Representatives," Rohde said. "We've been denied a discussion in the House."
Opponents claim the autism mandate would drive up the cost of health insurance policies and make it unaffordable for many Oklahomans. But Rohde said similar mandates have been passed this year in Florida and Arizona and were previously approved in many other states, including Texas.
Supporters of the bill have accused House leaders of representing the interests of insurance companies instead of voters.
"Big insurance is deciding health care policy up here. That's wrong," Rohde said. "All they say is no to the most vulnerable people in our society — children with special needs. That is not leadership.
"What we need is good leadership in 'The People's House'."
In his letter, Gumm urged Benge to "find some piece of common ground" with the parents of autistic children and others who support the mandate. Parents have said they spend up to $5,000 a month on behavioral treatments for autistic children that is not covered by their health insurance policies.
"Families continue to be torn asunder by the pressures of providing needed treatment for their children," Gumm said. "More autistic children grow into adulthood and lives as wards of the state, increasing pressure on future state budgets."
Gumm said he and Benge share a commitment to protecting the lives of the unborn and both have voted for anti-abortion legislation.
"One out of 150 Oklahoma children will be diagnosed with autism," Gumm said. "Should not we continue to value those lives once they emerge from the womb? I do not believe a commitment to life should end once a child is born.
"This should not be a partisan issue; autism strikes Republican, Independent and Democratic families," Gumm said. "We owe to these families, voters in every district in this state, to find some solution.
"Again, Mr. Speaker, we have made our proposal; what is yours?"
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Brock how astute....we are going to invite you to the Capitol tomorrow, Thursday, May 8th or Monday, May 12th (session starts in the afternoon) or Wednesday, May 14th (session begins in the morning). Ask anyone at the Capitol (well any Senator or Representative) to point out Wayne Rohde, my husband and Dad to Nick (Nick's Law). He would really like to discuss your concerns about Nick's Law. We should have several parents there as well. Unfortunately, the 1000's of parents who won't be able to make it to the Capitol will be home with their autistic children or working to pay for their children's treatments, but those who can will be there. Also, do you live in a cave or something? Nick's Law is carried in papers throughout the US, including Forbes.com. Nick's Law is in the Tulsa World and Oklahoman every week for the past 6 weeks or more (I believe that beats all the legislation this session, including our basketball team). Nick's Law has been carried on every TV station in OKC and Tulsa several times and my husband and other parents have been on the radio numerous times. So, yeah, I guess Nick's Law isn't getting much attention. Oh, and you may want to ask your Speaker of the House if he has heard from any national associations? Brock, you live in your own little world, don't you? Anyway, please look up my husband. He will be one of tallest individuals at the Capitol and typically has at least one TV news reporter following him around....If you still have a problem finding him....just go to the press area. Everyone knows him there. Got the guts to meet him, Brock?
Typical of this subject. Only four people have chimed in for this mandate during a 24 hour period. Looks like the supposed pressure the house members are facing is minimal because it comes from yet another small contingency looking for special consideration and compensation. It appears they are looking for action from the wrong people and should be barking up a different tree.
Kevin-I guess I'm enough of an optimist that I continue to be suprised. Having a child that doctors tell you will never speak, then after years and $10's of $1000's spent on therapies and biomedical treatments, the child loses all the symptoms of this medical condition called autism makes me an optimist and yes a realist. The problem we have in Oklahoma is that we have just given up on our most vulnerable population. Children with autism, when given the appropriate treatments can become productive citizens. What we would rather do is nothing and house these untreated children in warehouses. Yes, our state is backward and resistent to change and yes, those in House leadership are more concerned about Big Insurance than our special needs children whose families just want their insurance companies to do what is right. We don't want state government paying to house our children, we want the $100's of $1000's we have paid over the years in insurance premiums to be used to treat this disease. I'm continually amazed at the lack of common sense those in the legislature refuse to see regarding this topic. If Nick's Law doesn't pass, each and every taxpayer in Oklahoma will be writing out a check for $800 more every year to house these children who could have become productive adults and contributed to society instead of becoming wards of the state.
Robyne, are you seriously surprised by this? It seems that everyone in Oklahoma strives for mediocrity. They are so dead set on rejecting change they will gladly turn away even change for the better.
You are right, David. In the 18 states that have passed the same law, no insurance company has left. And Brock, your assumption is flawed. In all the states that have similar legislation, there has been no insurance companies that have gone out of business or pulled up shop because of this legislation.
By the way, if the cost is $ 30 million to the potentional claims cost, that does not mean that a rate hike will happen. To prove that point, the P&C industry rates have remain steady even after Hurricane Katrina and Rita. It is absorbed into the system. Brock and Burt, you both need to quit worring about the penny so much, because you can not see the dollar in savings 2 feet away from you. That is why states like Arizona and Florida passed legislation this year, Texas and S. Carolina last year, and possibly California later this year. We just keep racing to # 50 in every list.
Maybe the insurance companies will leave...maybe they won't. If enough states pass these type of laws then there won't be any place for them to do business. There's a time to do what is right and to value people more than a business's right to choose and this one of them.
Robyne, Burts point went right over your head. That point being, he chose to no longer do it. That can and most likely will happen with insurance companys where sudden and overwhelming expenditures will dictate viability or not. It's happened before here in Oklahoma where a rash of large hail storms in '99 caused a certain insurance company to pack up and leave all together. What makes you think they'll simply bend over and take a hickey like this? They'll stop offering coverage or the price will go up. Nobody is going to stand a $30 million dollar loss in one year and I don't blame them. Their share holders won't stand for it. Sure, they may go a year or two and see how it goes but eventually something is going to have to change. Btw, your child wasn't diagnosed until the age of 4? What happened in those years that changed or caused the diagnosis to come so late? Is there an underlying problem where you might be better served to take your concern? Could it be that the Federal Government is where you should be taking your claims because of child immunizations?
Okay, burt, let's go with your restaurant analogy. What if I decide that in my restaurant left handed people aren't allowed? Or since I'm part Cherokee, what if I decide no Cherokees or Blacks allowed? Hmmmm.... Also, having worked in healthcare, it is my understanding no hospital is allowed to deny treatment to anyone on the basis of race or if they DON'T have insurance. We on the other hand, planned for our children, I did everything right, we had what we thought was good insurance at $1000/month, it appeared to cover everything, even when our babies were born early and came home perfectly healthy, our insurance covered these expenses. But when one of our babies was diagnosed with autism at age 4 that is when coverage stopped. No speech, occupational, physical, behaviorial therapies, no nutritional consultations because his diagnosis is autism. If his diagnosis was diabetes, cancer, or aids, everything would be covered. Yeah, let's just go back to the days when we segregated the schools and had black and white restrooms or better yet, we wouldn't even allow blacks to eat in restaurants. Who needs all that government intervention into our private lives? I think we will all sleep better tonight knowing you do not own a business in Oklahoma or obviously do not have a special needs child...my concern is that you are in a service industry. Do you serve everyone or just those you think you should serve? Would you serve my non-verbal autistic son or would you think wasn't really worth it, like Big Insurance does? Robyne Rohde, mommy to Nicholas (Nick's Law)
My basic premise is that health insurance is a bona fide business. You decide what to cover and what not to cover, rates, benefits, exclusions. At a restaurant you decide what to sell and what not to sell. At a hospital you decide what procedures you will offer and not offer. Some hospitals will not do pediatrics. Some are level 1 trauma centers. Some send patients with level 1 trauma needs to O.U. Top rated hospitals such as Integris routinely sends level 1 patients to O.U. every day if not every hour. My problem is that you have law makers dictating to bona fide businesses what they will sell and not sell. You say that insurance companies post record profits. If that was the case with our insurer at work, why did they cancel all of our health policies because they lost 3 million dollars? I know kids need coverage and I believe the state should fully cover all kids until age 21. No child should ever have any medical need turned down for reason of money. No parent should ever go broke to cover a child. I just don't like big governments coming into my business telling me what I will and will not sell. This is the number one reason I am no longer in business and am totally in a service position. It is also why everybody else I know who was in business is no longer in it. Government regulations!
Nice try. No insurance company has gone out of business in other states because of similar legislation. Now that Florida passed their bill last week, Arizona last month, and all we do is sit on our hands. Insurance companies post record profits and your insurance keeps going up. Look into why the claims costs have held steady for the last 3 years, yet your insurance keeps going up.
By the way, start writing those $ 800 checks per year back to the state to pay for health care that the insurance companies have decided not to cover.
Can you not see that the insurance companies are shedding the undesireable risks off their books and onto the taxpayers?
Nice try. No insurance company has gone out of business in other states because of similar legislation. Now that Florida passed their bill last week, Arizona last month, and all we do is sit on our hands. Insurance companies post record profits and your insurance keeps going up. Look into why the claims costs have held steady for the last 3 years, yet your insurance keeps going up.
By the way, start writing those $ 800 checks per year back to the state to pay for health care that the insurance companies have decided not to cover.
Can you not see that the insurance companies are shedding the undesireable risks off their books and onto the taxpayers?
Nice try. No insurance company has gone out of business in other states because of similar legislation. Now that Florida passed their bill last week, Arizona last month, and all we do is sit on our hands. Insurance companies post record profits and your insurance keeps going up. Look into why the claims costs have held steady for the last 3 years, yet your insurance keeps going up.
By the way, start writing those $ 800 checks per year back to the state to pay for health care that the insurance companies have decided not to cover.
Can you not see that the insurance companies are shedding the undesireable risks off their books and onto the taxpayers?
Wow! Democrats push for a $30 million per year mandate on the private sector of Oklahoma business. I wonder how many insurance companys will choose NOT to do business in Oklahoma if this passes?
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By the way, if the cost is $ 30 million to the potentional claims cost, that does not mean that a rate hike will happen. To prove that point, the P&C industry rates have remain steady even after Hurricane Katrina and Rita. It is absorbed into the system. Brock and Burt, you both need to quit worring about the penny so much, because you can not see the dollar in savings 2 feet away from you. That is why states like Arizona and Florida passed legislation this year, Texas and S. Carolina last year, and possibly California later this year. We just keep racing to # 50 in every list.
Nice try. No insurance company has gone out of business in other states because of similar legislation. Now that Florida passed their bill last week, Arizona last month, and all we do is sit on our hands. Insurance companies post record profits and your insurance keeps going up. Look into why the claims costs have held steady for the last 3 years, yet your insurance keeps going up.
By the way, start writing those $ 800 checks per year back to the state to pay for health care that the insurance companies have decided not to cover.
Can you not see that the insurance companies are shedding the undesireable risks off their books and onto the taxpayers?
Nice try. No insurance company has gone out of business in other states because of similar legislation. Now that Florida passed their bill last week, Arizona last month, and all we do is sit on our hands. Insurance companies post record profits and your insurance keeps going up. Look into why the claims costs have held steady for the last 3 years, yet your insurance keeps going up.
By the way, start writing those $ 800 checks per year back to the state to pay for health care that the insurance companies have decided not to cover.
Can you not see that the insurance companies are shedding the undesireable risks off their books and onto the taxpayers?
Nice try. No insurance company has gone out of business in other states because of similar legislation. Now that Florida passed their bill last week, Arizona last month, and all we do is sit on our hands. Insurance companies post record profits and your insurance keeps going up. Look into why the claims costs have held steady for the last 3 years, yet your insurance keeps going up.
By the way, start writing those $ 800 checks per year back to the state to pay for health care that the insurance companies have decided not to cover.
Can you not see that the insurance companies are shedding the undesireable risks off their books and onto the taxpayers?