Tricia Harris ~ Blog

An Open Letter to the Insurance Committee of the Georgia House of Representatives

2015-03-24T08:33:00.000-04:00

A Child of Georgia
2 year old Caleb
Diagnosed with Severe Autism

March 23, 2015

Dear Georgia Lawmakers:

As a 38-year old mother of a 2 year old boy recently diagnosed with severe autism (Level 3), I write to implore you to end insurance discrimination against autistic children by voting SB1 (Ava’s Law) out of committee and into law in 2015.

When my son Caleb was diagnosed in December 2014, I was appalled to learn that his autism therapies were excluded from coverage because autism is considered a development delay and treatment is classified as “educational” and not “medical.” I asked myself, “How can this be? Autism is a biologically based condition that requires a medical doctor to diagnose. Autism is inherently medical.” In my research I found that in the late 80’s/early 90’s and continuing today, the insurance industry lobbied to have autism classified as “educational” in order to externalize the cost to tax payers and protect their profit margins. This set the national precedent and policies for blatant discrimination against autistic children. With that history, a few things for you to consider:

• 1 in 64 children have autism in Georgia.

• Autism is the most prevalent childhood medical condition; more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined.

• Cost of lifelong care can be reduced by 2/3 with early diagnosis and intense early intervention, such as Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy.

• Nearly 50% of children receiving intense ABA therapy mainstream by kindergarten and are indistinguishable from typically developing peers. Many bypass special education all together and go on to be productive members of society.

• Autism is a MEDICAL condition; costs for medical therapies should be not externalized solely to the public education system and tax payers.

• Therapies for other neurological disorders are generally covered under health insurance, including behavioral therapies. Autism is only excluded due to the successful lobbying efforts of insurance lobbyists.

• Critical development is between birth to five years old. Every day counts. Ava’s Law has failed to pass for six straight years in Georgia at the expense of children. How long must this go on? How many children will continued delays impact under your watch?

• Discrimination is the unlawful treatment of another person. The unlawful treatment of children with autism manifests in two ways: Less favorable treatment, treating a person with a disability less favorably compared to someone without a disability and failure in the obligation to make a reasonable adjustment for the disability. Denying medically necessary therapies to autistic children is blatant, unapologetic insurance discrimination.

• Actuary science describes the minimal cost to companies and individuals, but what about the substantial cost to children?

• Public education, particularly special education is not enough therapy for autistic children. Autistic children pushed into special education without adequate medical therapies are effectively being relegated to a lifetime of special needs support, public assistance and face an unemployment rate upward of 90%.

• While Ava’s Law only impacts state regulated insurance plans, it still covers 1.8 million Georgians. To suggest there is no need to pass Ava’s Law because the majority of children are covered under ERISA plans flies in the face of reason and good sense. What that reasoning implies is that legislation is not worth passing if it only impacts a certain percentage of the population. How many laws are enacted that only apply to a certain segment of the population? Most! Even if only one child were helped by Ava’s Law, that is still one child helped. In this case, the numbers are substantially larger and growing. Further that reasoning implies that children covered under state regulated plans should not receive behavioral therapies just because their parents work for a small or medium size business. That too is discrimination.

So far in 2015 three additional states passed autism insurance reform, bringing the total to 41. Must Georgia be the last?

For over a decade, insurance companies and business lobbyists have successfully lobbied against our children. Those practices continue today unless you put a stop to it. It is beyond the pale that we live in a nation where it is necessary to legislate and mandate humane treatment for children. Yet that is exactly what is asked of you as a Representative of Georgia. The awesome
responsibility before your distinguished body will fundamentally shape the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and their families in Georgia. Your decision is whether to bow to the wishes of those lobbying against the interests of Georgia’s children or help maximize their potential. Please don't let the Georgia Chamber of Commerce or the National Federation of Independent Businesses bully you into voting against Georgia's children.

This is a matter of human rights. This is a matter of civil rights.

This is a matter of equal opportunity for all of Georgia’s children.

Please take a stand against business interests that seek to neglect our children by denying medically necessary treatment. Please be a voice for the voiceless and take a stand for autistic children.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Tricia Harris

Bio: https://about.me/triciaharris

Chattanooga Times Article: Hope for autism help: Georgia lawmaker, supporters hope 7th time will be the charm for bill

WSB Radio Article: Hearing on autism bill set for House committee today

WSB Radio: Hearing on autism bill set for House committee today

2015-03-23T06:28:00.000-04:00

By Sandra Parrish

WSB Radio

Atlanta —

A state House committee will hold a hearing this afternoon on a bill that would force insurance companies to cover autism treatment for kids through age 6.

The measure, which passed the state Senate unanimously early in the legislative session, would raise insurance premiums by a few dollars.

But Rep. Richard Smith (R-Columbus) has blocked passage of the bill in the House. As chairman of the House Insurance Committee, he says the bill would only impact around 15 percent of the state’s population who work for small companies.

“Because your large self-insured companies are federally regulated, we have absolutely no say so in what they do or what they do not do,” he tells WSB’s Sandra Parrish.

Smith says he has no plans to vote on the bill as it currently is written.

“We’re telling small business or those that are self-insured, ‘we’re going to raise your premiums to cover this’; and I have an issue with that,” he says.

But Tricia Harris of LaFayette says insurance companies should have been paying for the treatment all along calling it’s a neurological disorder. She has been lobbying lawmakers all session on behalf of her 2-year-old son Caleb who has autism.

“Arguably the insurance companies took a free ride for over ten years at the expense of our kids; they should have been covering it,” she says.

Harris pays out of pocket for her son’s treatment, but says there are many other parents who can’t afford it. Statics show one in 68 kids are diagnosed with autism in the U.S. each year.

“Thirty-eight states have passed these mandates, so you have to ask yourself why this mandate is necessary to begin with,” she says.

Last year the state Senate attached its autism legislation onto the House medical marijuana bill in an effort to get it through. The House baulked and neither bill passed.

This year, the Senate has come around to the House version of medical marijuana legislation which is expected to receive final passage as soon as this week. But the same fate isn’t likely for the autism bill.

“I don’t pass legislation out that I don’t feel is ready,” says Smith.

http://www.wsbradio.com/news/news/local/hearing-autism-bill-set-house-committee-today/nkcXd/

Hope for autism help: Georgia lawmaker, supporters hope 7th time will be the charm for bill

2015-02-16T09:13:00.000-05:00

Hope for autism help: Georgia lawmaker, supporters hope 7th time will be the charm for bill

Spoken Word: Painting Images Drawn from the Mouth | Urban Cusp

2011-08-20T12:24:00.000-04:00

Deep appreciate and ONE LOVE to Rahiel Tesfamariam and Urban Cusp for this article! Check it out! Spoken Word: Painting Images Drawn from the Mouth

♥ Loved Isaiah Washington's New Book!! ♥

2011-06-27T10:50:00.003-04:00

A Man from Another Land: How Finding My Roots Changed My Life by Isaiah Washington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just finished reading Isaiah Washington's A MAN FROM ANOTHER LAND! He made me laugh, cry, mad, sad, dream, hope, believe. He made me SEE! DNA has memory!!!

The book is a transparent testimony of Isaiah's journey through life as a man, actor, activist, humanitarian, and child of God.

♥ After reading this enthralling testimony all I can say is: I WANT MY AFRICAN DNA TEST NOW!!! I want to know my African self NOW!! Not tomorrow, not next week, not next month ~ NOW! Read his book & you'll feel the overwhelming urgency too!

I am so incredibly impressed with Isaiah! Encore! Encore! I hope the book comes out in audio so he can bring this book to life with his outstanding acting skills!

View all my reviews

Make the best of your life

2011-06-23T08:29:00.001-04:00

Thank you God!

2011-06-20T11:06:00.001-04:00

Phenomenal Woman by Dr. Maya Angelou

2011-06-18T11:51:00.000-04:00

Today I'm going to watch Dr. Maya Angelou speak at the Andrew and Walter Young YMCA. They are dedicating the Teen Center to her. Very cool.

MLK On Service - Drum Major Instinct

2011-06-13T11:29:00.000-04:00

Minds Your Matters

2011-06-10T12:12:00.001-04:00

As you go through life, make sure you focus on matters that matter. Many matters don't matter at all. The matters that do matter often end up not mattering because we're too busy mattering in minor matters. So mind your major matters and don't major in the minors. That is all.

Faith + Hope x Love: Tricia Harris

"The most obvious facts are the most easily forgotten..."

2011-06-09T11:24:00.000-04:00

"If, however, economic ambitions are good servants, they are bad masters. The most obvious facts are the most easily forgotten.

Both the existing economic order and too many of the projects advanced for reconstructing it breakdown through their neglect of the truism that, since even quite common men have souls, no increase in material wealth will compensate them for arrangements which insult their self-respect and impair their freedom.

A reasonable estimate of economic organization must allow for the fact that, unless industry is to be paralyzed by recurrent revolts on the part of outraged human nature, it must satisfy criteria which are not purely economic."

- R.H. Tawney

Religion and the Rise of Capitalism

Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now

2011-06-08T12:29:00.000-04:00

Dear Rihanna:"Man Down" Keeps Man Down

2011-06-04T23:28:00.002-04:00

Dear Rihanna,

Please take this in the spirit of tough love and concern that it is meant: You may need an intervention. What's going on in your mind, baby girl?

As I understand it, your new song "Man Down" is meant to raise public awareness about domestic violence against women and empower victims. That makes sense since you were a victim yourself. We all remember the photos of your beautiful face banged black and blue from Chris Brown man handling you. Our heart ached for you. We were outraged at the cruelty and appalled by the nonsense. Your desire to empower women and raise awareness to help our community evolve is understandable and commendable. But um...that's not exactly what you're doing, is it?

Please allow me to point out the obvious. Releasing a song about pre-meditated murder to exact revenge for an assault, then running from the police to avoid prison for the crime doesn't exactly encourage growth and healing, does it? It doesn't help. It harms.

Listening to "Man Down" makes me wonder if you really want to keep man down. Is that true? Or do you simply not care? I'd like to believe that you are just painfully oblivious to the impact your power and influence have on the psyche and sensibilities of our generation. I want to believe, but that's not really true, is it? In your words, "I'm just a girl, I can only be your/our voice!"

Rihanna's Tweets

By your own admission, you are a voice for our generation. Yet you've chosen to use it to sing:

♫...It's a .22 ~ I call her Peggy Sue. She fits right down in my shoes. What you expect me to do if you're playing me for a fool? I will lose my cool...and reach for my fire arm...♫

Seriously? That's what you would do? That's what you want to encourage girls and women to do? When challenged, you shrug indifference and call it art. It doesn't matter how you dress it up, trying to explain this away as "artistic expression" that reflects the realities of many doesn't fly as a viable excuse for such callous disregard for our people.

Answering violence with violence and calling it a song of empowerment can only be characterized as short bus logic. Get off the bus! It's taking you in the wrong direction! S.O.S.

How will you feel if/when some misguided young woman picks up a .22, aims and shoots while "Man Down" plays in her mind? Blowing someone away doesn't make you a big girl, it just puts you in the big house.

Of course, I realize that you're only 23, but you are old enough to count. It's simply not adding up when you do your math, love. I suggest you stop counting on your fingers and use a calculator to multiply the negative affect your influence is having on our community. Your message is not courageous, it's a cop out.

I realize that you're under fire right now and I don't mean to add fuel, but better for you to be called out than for someone you influence to "man down" and get locked up. Waxing indignant and giving flippant comments that show a disconnect from reality is not a good look. The criticism you're receiving over this song isn't because people are hating on you; it's because you are spewing hate!

All that said, I remain hopeful. You can fix this. Judging by the 6 million YouTube views of your video within three days, you have a captive audience. Now is the time. Your lyrics express deep regret over your fictitious actions. It's time for life to imitate art. It's not too late to ♫ rum bum bum bum ♫ your way to truth. Acknowledging your mistake doesn't make you weak, it shows you're strong. Be a big girl and man up!

Faith + Hope x Love: Tricia Harris