Thomas: ‘Angels for Autism’ made a difference
The following op-ed by Senators David Thomas and Joel Lourie ran today in The State newspaper. It discusses the passage of Ryan’s Law, the legislation recently passed requiring insurance companies to provide coverage for children with autism.
‘Angles of Autism’ made a difference
Much has been written in recent weeks about the passage of Ryan’s Law, the legislation that requires that insurance companies provide coverage for children with autism. While we are proud of the role that we and other legislators played in passing this new law, this is really a success story of how private citizens can affect their government.
We would like to give you an insider’s perspective and in particular tell you about three wonderful moms who, because of their persistent but pleasant commitment to this endeavor, have made a contribution to our state that will benefit thousands of children and families for years to come.
About two years ago, Lorri Unumb, Marcella Ridley and Lisa Rowlings made the decision that it was time for South Carolina to join the growing list of states that require coverage for autistic children. And though our introduction to this issue began when we met these three ladies, later nicknamed the “Angels for Autism,” their journey actually began the day each of them discovered that she had a child with autism.
Like many families in the same situation, they wanted to learn as much as possible about what types of services and therapy would be available and what the future would hold for their children.
What they soon learned was that other states provided greater opportunities, either through public programs or private insurance. They decided to join forces and thus began the long and tedious process of making the changes necessary here in South Carolina to improve access to treatment for autistic children.
The Angels for Autism started meeting with individual members of the Legislature. One by one, they built a coalition of senators and House members, Democrats and Republicans, all who were committed to helping them pass legislation necessary to enact such change.
The key to their advocacy was education and information. Many of us will tell you that two years ago we knew little about autism. But because of their efforts, we were able to better understand the needs of these children and the fiscal and social cost of not providing more treatment.
The 2006 legislative session saw many meetings between the advocates (the Angels), representatives from the insurance industry and the business community and members of the Legislature. We were not able to come to an agreement on the insurance requirement, but we did create a special pilot program within the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs to provide treatment to autistic children. The new program was funded at $3 million.
To accomplish this in a single legislative year was pretty remarkable, and most regular people would have declared victory, gone back to their families and felt pretty good about the impact they had made on our state. However, these three moms are not regular people, and in reality, they were just getting warmed up.
Empowered by families across South Carolina, who, by the way, became an incredible grass-roots organization, the Angels came back in this year’s session with one simple but challenging goal: Pass an insurance mandate so that our state will provide both public and private options for these children.
For the next five months, the negotiations became more emotional and intense, and there were many times when a compromise seemed almost impossible. But as the saying goes, “some things are meant to be,” and in mid-April, an agreement was reached that opened the door for the treatment of children with autism in an unprecedented way.
In summary, children of employees of medium and large companies, as well as state employees, will now have the potential for insurance coverage of up to $50,000 a year in therapy costs (to be increased by the rate of inflation). Also, funding for the program at the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs has been increased this year to $7.5 million, and these funds should be eligible for a federal match.
The legislation passed the Senate in late April and the House of Representatives a few weeks later. Ultimately, but unanimously, the bill survived a veto by the governor. No more committee meetings, no more negotiations — Ryan’s Law is not a hope or a dream anymore; it is now the law of the state of South Carolina.
It’s quite an accomplishment for three special moms who came to the Capitol on a mission, and would not leave until the job was complete.
Mr. Lourie represents Richland and Kershaw counties, and Mr. Thomas represents Greenville County. Both serve in the South Carolina Senate.
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