The following column was written by Autism Society of North Carolina CEO Tracey Sheriff. State lawmakers have an opportunity to right an unfortunate injustice this legislative session. Currently in North Carolina, the nearly 60,000 individuals with autism and their families face unfair financial hardship because of an inequality in their health insurance coverage. To correct…
Autism Insurance Legislation Introduced in North Carolina!
North Carolina General Assembly Representatives Chuck McGrady, Tom Murry, Phil Sheppard and Trisha Cotham have introduced NC House Bill 498, titled “Mandate Autism Health Coverage.” The bill would ensure that health benefits plans in North Carolina will provide coverage for diagnostic and treatment services for Autism Spectrum Disorders in individuals in private and state…
Legislative Long Session Kicks Off! What Might the Session Hold For People on the Spectrum?
This week marks the beginning of the North Carolina General Assembly long session, which typically lasts from the end of January to sometime in June/July. Lawmakers arrived for work in Raleigh over the last two weeks and began organizing for the session, with new legislators receiving training. There are a LOT of new folks – of…
What happened at the Legislature this session? ASNC Budget Wrap Up Report
Editor’s Note – The following article was written by Jennifer Mahan, the Autism Society of North Carolina’s Director of Government Relations. During the General Assembly “short” legislative session that lasted from May 16 to July 3rd, state legislators made small changes to the second year of the two-year state budget they put into place last…
NC General Assembly Legislative Session Wrap-up
This article was published in The Autism Society of North Carolina’s summer 2011 issue of The Spectrum. Current and past issues of The Spectrum can be found under Publications on our website. Families, self-advocates and ASNC faced difficult challenges in advocating for better services and supports for people on the autism spectrum as we headed into the long…
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…
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…
April is Autism Awareness Month
April is Autism Awareness Month During the month of April, the Autism Society of North Carolina encourages the public to learn more about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the resources available to individuals on the autism spectrum and their families. Autism affects 1 out of every 110 children born today, making it the second most…
You Have Been Heard! …Now what?
Wow! Thank you everyone that took the time to contact the members of the Joint Study Committee for Autism and Public Safety. They have heard you loud and clear. At this time, we need to hold off the calls and emails to the committee members until the up coming session. If you ask me, that…