Federal:
U.S. Senate Passes Health Care Reform Bill Containing Provision For Autism Insurance Reform and Cures Acceleration Network
Washington, DC (December 25, 2009) – Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, applauds the members of the U.S. Senate for yesterday passing an overall health care reform bill that contains provisions for autism insurance reform, as well as the funding to accelerate the scientific discovery of autism treatments and cures.
The provision for autism insurance reform was introduced in September by Senator Robert Menendez and passed by the Senate Finance Committee with the support of Committee Chairman Max Baucus. The provision will prohibit discrimination in benefits against people with autism by including behavioral health treatments as part of the essential benefits package.
The bill also included elements of the Cures Acceleration Network (CAN) Act, introduced in April by Senator Arlen Specter . Like the CAN Act, this provision of the health care reform bill would create a large new fund for, and focus on, "bench to bedside" research, creating an emphasis on more quickly translating research discoveries into practical medical applications. Autism Speaks was the first disease advocacy group to support the CAN Act.
“We are grateful to Senators Menendez, Baucus, Specter, and their Senate colleagues for passing this health care reform bill, ensuring that families dealing with autism are a part of larger health care reform,” said Peter Bell, Autism Speaks executive vice president for programs and services. “Now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that autism affects one percent of American children, the need for our legislators to ensure that families can afford the treatments their children need, as well as a redoubling of our federal government’s commitment to science and innovation in the search for a cure, has never been more important.”
“The addition of the Cures Acceleration Network to the health care reform legislation will create the urgency we desperately need at the federal level to push science toward real impact on people’s lives,” said Geraldine Dawson, PhD, Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer. “In the area of autism research, in particular, much needs to be done to translate important discoveries into treatments and therapies that can help individuals living with autism today.”
The Senate and House versions of the health care reform bills must now be reconciled and approved by both bodies before presented to President Obama for his signature.
Legislative Update
Communicating with your legislator
Writing Letters:
When writing to elected officials, address the letter to "The Honorable First Name Last Name," followed by the legislature name, then the city, state, and zip code. Start your letter with the person's title, then their name. For example:
For U.S. Congressional representatives:
Dear Representative First Name Last Name
For U.S. Senators:
Dear Senator First Name Last Name
For California Assemblymembers:
Dear Assemblyman (or Assemblywoman) First Name Last Name
For example:
The Honorable Jane Doe
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Representative Doe:
You can mail or fax your letter. If you want to influence your representative's vote on a particular piece of legislation, it's best to fax so it reaches them in time.
Phone Calls
Phone calls are a very effective way to let your legislator know how you feel. Every office has trained staff assigned to take constituent phone calls and keep track of comments, which are then given to the legislator every day and before votes.
E-mails
Sadly, due to the high volume of form e-mails, this is not the most effective method for communicating with your representative. Also, some offices are more e-mail friendly than others. To combat form e-mails, most legislators now suggest that constituents visit their individual web page and fill out a contact form. This is a much better way to communicate than sending e-mail to his/her e-mail address. Links to individual websites are provided below.
U.S. Senators
Every state has two Senators. Both are your representatives. The address for both Senators is: U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510.
The Senate website is:
Senator Barbara Boxer
(202) 224-3553
(213) 894-5000 in Los Angeles
FAX (213) 894-5042
boxer.senate.gov/contact
Senator Dianne Feinstein
(202) 224-3841
(310) 914-7300 in Los Angeles
FAX (202) 228-3954
feinstein.senate.gov/email.html
U.S. Representatives
The address for all U.S. Representatives is: U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515. If you don't know your representative, visit www.house.gov
and enter your zip code.
California State Senate
The address for all state representatives is: State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814. Sacramento area codes are 916.If you do not know your state representatives, visit www.assembly.ca.gov
and click on "Find My District."
Attorneys & Advocates
Serving the Special Needs Child
2600 Mission Street, Suite 200
San Marino, California 91108
(626) 440-0028
