Insurance Mandate: "It's kind of a no-brainer" - Nadine Gratz, Health Policy Analyst, Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson's Office

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Nadine Gratz, Health Policy Analyst for Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson. We talked about Judy Robson’s reasons for introducing the bill that would mandate insurance coverage for autism treatment, and what concerned citizens, parents and advocates can do to help.

RJ Wood: What is the status of the bill introduced by Judy Robson mandating insurance coverage for autism treatment?

Gratz: Currently the bill is being circulated for signatures. So far we have 42 out of 132 legislators signing on, 13 senators and 29 reps.

RJ Wood: So there is bi-partisan support?

Gratz: No, not really. At this point we are working to get more legislators to sign onto the bill; it will be introduced on Thursday. Basically it is the same language as the Governor’s proposal.

RJ Wood: Why was the legislation removed from the Joint Finance Committee?

Gratz: The Joint Finance Committee regarded this as a policy item, not budget proposal.

RJ Wood: Why did Senator Robson introduce this legislation?

Gratz: Senator Robson is a nurse. So she has a very long standing, about 20 years total, of fighting very hard for a range of health care issues, and this is a natural extension.

She (Robson) was very pleased when she saw that the Governor had included this insurance provision in the budget, and when she saw that it was removed she wanted to keep it going. She is very concerned about the number of children being diagnosed, and she believes that early behavioral intervention can be so effective.

She brings this from her nursing background. She has always been a very firm advocate for prevention when possible, and early intervention, so this bill is an effort to get intensive care to children with autism at the time when it can be most effective.

From the perspective of a care giver it’s kind of a “no brainer.”

RJ Wood: Once the legislation passes the senate, what are the chances of getting it through the Assembly?

Gratz: It’s going to be very hard. At this point it remains to be seen how involved advocates for it will be, and how successful constituents are with their own legislators, and we know it will get a huge amount of pushback from the insurance industry.

RJ Wood: What are the best ways for families and other interested parties to help get this legislation passed?

Gratz: People that are affected need to speak out, and make tell stories in a compelling way so that legislators do not forget them (when they go to vote on the issue).

There is a strong commitment from the autism community and their families to this legislation. A good question to ask your legislator is: ‘if not this, what? If this isn’t the right bill, what is your response,’ and if their response is nothing, then people need to start sending them some strong message of ‘why are you in office then?’