Fw: One Determined Dad wins the fight for Autism INsurance Reform in New York

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----- Forwarded Message -----To: Karp Sent: Thursday, November 3, 2011 12:02 AMSubject: One Determined Dad wins the fight for Autism INsurance Reform in New York

One Determined Dad wins fight for Autism

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Insurance Reform in New York

Life ain’t fair. All parents of a child with autism know that. But every once in awhile the karmic wheel turns, justice prevails and we get a brief glimmer that human beings are capable of hearing our own best angels and doing the right thing. And we got a bit of that yesterday when, Cuomo, the Governor of New York, signed a bill that will significantly expand health insurance coverage for people with autism in New York. This bill isn’t perfect, but it’s a good thing, and is the most we probably could have gotten out of the pay-to-play cesspool of Albany politics. And it has been a longtime coming. Almost 8 years.

But this article isn’t so much about politics, but the power of one father’s love for his son to move him to do extraordinary things, and through one individual’s sheer unstoppable resolve motivate thousands of people to lift themselves to a higher level and make the right thing happen. Because without the tireless determination of one determined dad, , to assure that his son was treated fairly by his health insurance company, this bill in New York never would have happened.

The effort to getting insurance fairness in New York began back in 2004 when a group of ordinary Long Island dads got a bill introduced. But, as frequently happens with deserving legislation, roadblocks emerged and forward movement stopped.

A couple more dads picked up the ball to get it moving again and one of those dads was Mike . Mike is a regular guy. He has his own printing business in Clifton Park just outside of Albany, the state capital. He loves deer hunting, and taking his boat to Lake on weekends, and getting together with his high school rock band buds to jam on classic rock songs.

He has two beautiful kids, a and her brother . At some point, Mike new wasn’t progressing the way he should-- a story we all know. And when Mike tried to get the medical care his son obviously needed, that care was denied by his insurance company because was pigeon-holed as having autism.

But they denied care to the wrong family. Mike is like a modern Winston Churchill, he never knows when he is licked, and he never, ever gives up. He just keeps on fighting for what he knows is right. In 2006 Mike took the lead on fighting for an insurance bill. We didn’t get that but we did get a law that prohibited discrimination against people with autism by insurance companies.

We tried again for full insurance coverage without success in 2008 and 2009. The hours Mike has spent on this cause must are well into the thousands. His trips to the Legislative Office Building in Albany must easily number in the hundreds. And I am sure he has worn out several pairs of shoes walking the halls in Albany. And all of this was done strictly as a volunteer.

In 2010 we were faced with a truly awful bill posing as insurance reform that would have actually taken away the little we have now. It passed in the Assembly and the Senate and none of our efforts to stop it were working. The bill looked like a slam dunk. There were many times when I was ready to scream with frustration and throw in the towel, but then I would get a call from Mike and he would be burning with ideas on how to move forward, and strategizing on how to use information that he had picked up during his most current 8-hour stint spent walking the halls in Albany. We kept on fighting. And somehow Mike convinced Governor Paterson to veto this awful bill.

Suddenly we had a new ball game, the legislative powers-that-be realized after the truly humiliating defeat Mike inflicted on them, that they would have to deliver a bill of substance, that provided needed services for people with autism, and a bill that would cost the immensely powerful insurance companies some real money.

Yesterday the bill was signed into law. Lots of people were at the Capitol, dozens of TV cameras and reporters, politicians, advocates, and I was glad to see there were people with autism there too. Weisman, a warrior mother of the first order, brought her three sons, all of whom are on the spectrum, and Mike was there with . And as you might imagine it wasn’t easy for the kids with autism to sit through the all the speeches. had to get up and leave the room a number of times. The politicians were saying nice things about each other, and special regard was given to a large autism organization headed by a retired industrial giant. But nothing was said about .

Eventually the time arrived for the Governor to sign the bill. The politicians and activists were invited to stand behind the Governor. was very excited to see the Governor so he went right up to him while he was signing the new law and engaged him in conversation. And when Governor Cuomo was done signing the bill he handed the pen he used to , the one child in the state of New York who had more to do with that bill being passed than any other.

Sometimes the right thing happens.

Pictures of and the Governor made the front page of the papers and you can see it here at this link.

http://www.timesunion.com/default/photo/Gov--Cuomo-right-hands-a-pen-to-1720229.php

And if you would like to send a kind word to a true advocate for our children please click on the Take Action link and send an email to Mike.

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