ASA-ASO ACTION ALERT: HAA Committee to Possibly Vote on HB8

[Guest guest]

Dear Friend of ASA-ASO :

Please use this link to write to your state representative and urge him or her to support HB 8.

The third hearing of HB 8, Autism Insurance Coverage, before the House Healthcare Access and Affordability Committee, held Wednesday, March 25, 2009 went very well. Many thanks to the individuals with autism, their families, service providers and other supporters who attended!

The Committee, chaired by Rep. Lorraine Fende, heard testimony from opponents of the bill including representatives of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the Ohio Chamber of Commerce's Ohio Small Business Council and the Ohio Manufactures Association. Opponents suggested that the bill would serve to increase costs disproportionately for small employers, mandates increase health care costs and force employers to decide whether to forego raises or coverage and that the bill is overly broad in the types of treatments that will be covered and exactly when coverage will be required.

Former Rep. Jon , testifying in support of the measure, said the legislature had already conducted a study committee - the Ohio Autism Task Force - on which he served and which made recommendations consistent with the measure at hand. "This was the singular issue that attracted the most attention," he said. Mr. said he disagreed with opponent testimony regarding the cost of such coverage, saying that insurance costs keep rising regardless of mandates and no one has proven they make that much of a difference compared to other market factors. Additionally, he argued that the societal cost of not providing treatment to youth with autism would be exponentially larger later in life.

The fourth hearing for HB 8 has been scheduled before the House Healthcare Access and Affordability Committee on March 31th at 3pm in Rm. 114 of the Statehouse. Once again this will be the only bill under consideration at this hearing.

At this hearing, the committee will discuss possible amendments to the bill, with a vote out of the committee a possibility! Filling the hearing room with supporters of HB 8 will send a strong message to members of the committee and those opposing the bill, so if you are able to do so, please attend the hearing and show your support for Reps. Celeste and Garland and HB 8.

April 1 is the day of our Autism/Developmental Disability Awareness rally, so if you coming to the rally, be sure to schedule an appointment with your legislators to talk about HB 8.

The ASA-Autism Society of Ohio has created a web page devoted exclusively to Autism Insurance Parity. Click here to visit. It contains complete information on Autism Insurance Coverage and HB 8.

Sincerely,

Autism Society of America - Autism Society of Ohio Chapter701 S. Main St.Akron, OH 44311(330) 376-0211fax: (330) 376-1226email: askASO@...home: byavorcik@...web: www.autismohio.org--------------------------------------------------------------

State Representative Lorraine Fende ANNOUNCEMENT OF COMMITTEE MEETING

COMMITTEE: Healthcare Access and AffordabilityCHAIRWOMAN: Rep. Lorraine M. Fende DATE: March 31, 2009 TIME: 3:00 PM or Following Session if Session Ends After 3:00 PMROOM: 114 BILLS SCHEDULED TO BE HEARD: BILL SPONSOR TITLE STATUS HB 8 Celeste/Garland Insurance Coverage – Autism 4th Hearing IP/Amendments *Possible Vote

***Amendments must be received by the Chair’s office by 12:00 PM (Noon) Monday, March 30th *** If presenting written testimony, please provide 30 hard-copies (double-sided printing) and one electronic copy to Chairwoman Fende’s office at least 24 hours prior to subcommittee meeting. Worried about job security? Check out the 5 safest jobs in a recession.