NC State Budget Last week the NC General Assembly passed a budget for the 2011-2013 budget years that was compromise bill negotiated between the NC House and NC Senate, prior to the Senate passing their own budget. In the final version, the General Assembly used the House version of the budget numbers for Health and…
Autism Insurance: Not Dead Yet!
Autism insurance bill sponsors have introduced very good bills this year that make sure that North Carolina health plans cover services for autism spectrum disorder so it’s disappointing that autism insurance legislation has not moved forward in the North Carolina General Assembly this session. We all know it’s the right thing to do, making sure…
Senate Budget Released: More Cuts to Autism!
On May 24, the North Carolina Senate released its version of the state budget, which cuts an additional 3% from Health and Human Services programs, including $30 million in cuts to state funded services (IPRS), $51 million more in cuts to Medicaid optional services for adults, $10 million in cuts to non-profits, and $25 million…
A PATHway to help
Editor’s Note: The following article was written by Autism Society of North Carolina Parent Advocate Wanda Curley. Wanda works out of the Triad office in Greensboro. We appreciate her willingness to share her personal journey and insights. As a parent of a very amazing young adult with autism , I continue to be encouraged daily…
Managed Care Waivers: A Guide for What You Should Know
There are days in public policy work where it can feel like you are wandering lost, and unlike the woman pictured here there is no map. Then there are the days where you have no shortage of maps, but they all say to go in different directions. One of my jobs at the Autism Society in North Carolina (ASNC)…
Autism Society of North Carolina Chapters – one person’s experience
Editor’s note: The following article is from Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) Parent Advocate Amy Perry. We appreciate her contribution! The Autism Society of North Carolina was formed by a group of parents in 1970 in hopes of finding support with each other and creating better opportunities for their children. Today ASNC has 45…
It’s Time to be the Teacher
Last year I did something I had never done before. I attended a committee meeting for the North Carolina General Assembly. Actually, it was the Senate Health Committee and on the calendar that day was a bill that would require all state regulated health plans, including the State Employee Health Plan, to cover behavioral therapy…
Autism Society of NC Advocacy at the Whitehouse!
Editor’s note: the following article was submitted by Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) Parent Advocate Judy Smithmyer. Judy, along with ASNC Director of Government Relations Jennifer Mahan, attended last Monday’s White House Autism Summit. This is Judy’s account of that eventful day. On April 25th 2011 I had the opportunity to participate in a…
House Budget Proposal Released, Includes 1915 b/c Managed Care Waiver
Budget: The General Assembly House Appropriations Sub-committees released their budget proposals and budget special provisions last week. In most cases, sub-committees used the Governor’s budget cuts as a starting point and then cut an additional 1.6 billion dollars from the state budget for a total reduction of 2.5 billion dollars from the base budget….