Joint Finance Committee Letter

Simply cut and paste and personalize the letter below and mail it to the members of the Joint Finance Committee that are listed below! If we inundate them with these letters, they may just return it to the budget. I did receive a "tip" from a legislative source that they are considering just this!


Dear Senator/Rep. ___________,

My name is _______________ and I am writing to you, a member of the Joint Finance Committee, to request that you return Governor Doyle’s proposed insurance mandate language to the budget that will be sent to the Assembly and Senate.

This year, the rate of children diagnosed with autism has increased 172%, and now impacts approximately 1 out of 150 children, making it the fasting growing disorder in the United States. Without intervention, according to a recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health, individuals with autism will cost the state $3.2 million dollars over their lifetime, and families face unbelievable loss. Fortunately there is treatment available that has empirical evidence of its success. Many of the children who receive the treatment can go on to lead normal lives.

Currently, the state of Wisconsin is picking up the entire tab for the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Even residents who have private insurance face a situation where the insurers simply refuse to pay for treatment, even though we know Autism is a physical, neurologically based condition, not a mental health disorder.

Every year hundreds of children in Wisconsin must wait for only 250 treatment slots available, forcing families to postpone treatment, and making them face an agonizing wait for their “turn.” But waiting for Autism treatment is not a game that families should have to “play.” Studies have proven that the quicker a child can receive treatment, the more efficacious the results.

It is extremely unfortunately that the Joint Finance Committee decided to remove such an important provision. I am asking that you compel its return to the budget so that children with autism will get the care that they so deserve, and that taxpayers in Wisconsin can have some relief from the high cost of autism care.

Families that pay their premiums ought to be able to access benefits that will allow them to care for their children with this serious disorder. Many insurance companies argue that they will be forced to raise rates, but without treatment, the state will have to bear a much greater burden of caring for the tremendous number of children with autism. This will impose a much higher tax liability on the population of Wisconsin.

When this is coupled with the tremendous sadness that families of untreated children with autism must endure as they face kids who can not communicate even the simplest of needs, one realizes that not only is this the smart thing to do, it is the compassionate and humane thing to do as well.

Please do the right thing, return the insurance mandate for autism treatment to the budget!

Sincerely,