Um ... ya think?
MSNBC has run an article that basically says mothers get more stressed when their children have behavioural disorders. They focus on ADHD, but come on -- your child acts up and all's serene? Not likely, yeah duh.
At least, that was my first thought. Then I thought that hey, maybe someone will see this and possibly take a second look at parents with kids on the spectrum. Because it's all about us, especially at the end of a 14-hour day that saw 130-miles of driving (at increased gas prices), painful copays that further eat at our reduced family income, several hours of appointments with therapists that will give us good insight but sound iffy re: helping our son get more covered services, and repeated meltdowns of both children for assorted reasons.
Oh, and James deciding at the beach, about an hour and a half before his appointments, that he was just going to ignore me and my loud voice and lie down on the wet sand and let the Bay waves wash right over him in his street clothes? Then going boneless when I attempted to physically remove him from the surf? Yeah, I rate that right up there with overly long nightmares about missing trains and running to deliver lost luggage. While my shoes fall off.
That will teach me to not pack a complete backup set of clothes. Ah well, maybe the sandy undies will make him think next time. Yeah, not really counting on that one either.
Anywho, for all you people who've come across this story, there are many parallels, are there not, in parenting and emotional experiences for parents of kids with Autistic Disorder and ADHD? We too operate in "constant vigilance, a high level of energy" when dealing with our children, whether or not they are with us physically. And oh so definitely yes, the CA state and federal budget butcherings to schools and Regional Centers have totally ratcheted up our emotional stress rollercoasters. We are at Defcon 2 and ready to nudge over into Tortured Mode.
Author Dudette, you hesitate to voice an opinion because there are no offical studies done yet on the effects of of state budget cuts on special needs children? Here's all you need: "The effect? I'll tell you the effect! It's pissing me off!" (Who knew that Ghostbusters had so much wisdom?)
Let's see: Less money because I have to quit my job to manage getting services for children + rise in prices + huge cuts in budgets to Regional Center + services being dumped on schools to provide + schools getting less money, their funds raided, and non-repayment of robbed funds + fewer services for our child all way around + way burned out husband + rising costs everywhere + financial institutions getting bailed out for bad behaviour + grandstanding politicians = really pissed off parents who feel like they've been hung out to dry after being as responsible as possible.
I know we're all more stressed these days. I know that not only ADHD and ASD parents are stressing out more and more. Which brings me to this question: What was this article really about?
It almost sounds to me like:
"Oh, parents of kids with special needs are more stressed out that parents of regular needs kids. What a concept. But we'll wait for an official study before we really care."
If this is actually the case, here I am, waving my arms around and yelling:
"Yes! YES, YES, we're REALLY STRESSED already, OK?! Skip the sodding test and help kick some political entropy to lessen the mess. Studying our misery won't help us or our kids as much as sounding out a rally call for change in the way monies are appropriated and services managed in these tough times. Parents and children need some relief and access to services and therapies. If we shut our eyes to this now, it's going to come back and haunt us all years down the road when we have a sizeable percentage of the population who is more dependent for their support because there was a lack of services up front that could have greatly lessened the effects of the disabilities."
Showing posts with label coverage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coverage. Show all posts
Monday, July 25, 2011
Monday, June 01, 2009
Who Really Pays?
I read this online article,entitled HMO Autism Services Drive Up Costs, and while the author raises some good questions and things to ponder, I have problems with his thinking.
My biggest sticking point is that no one knows what is causing autism, or why the number of children diagnosed has raised so drastically over just a few short years. Until this cause has been identified, how can anyone presume to know the methods for treating it effectively or preventing its cause?
From reading the article, I get the impression that the author is telling people that HMOs already cover any medical issues related to autism, and that "extensive educational and behavioral services for autistic children" should continue to not be covered because they are not medically related. How can he say this if we truly don't know the cause for autism, let alone effective ways to cope with it? And from personal experience, I can say that my HMO does not cover all medical costs associated with autism; I also resent reading the sentence "Families of autistic children will find ways to get covered by HMOs." No, they won't. Especially if they are already overwhelmed with trying to keep their families afloat with one (or more) less jobs and rising tax rates.
What if the cause for some cases of autism are the result of reactions to something in the environment, like asbestos or second-hand smoke? What if we stopped HMO coverage for cancer? And why does this person assume that one policy fits all for everyone affected by autism, because if there's one thing I've learned it's that autism affects everyone differently.
I understand the cause for concern. As the parent of a child on the spectrum, I know how high costs can quickly add up for services such as Occupational Therapy, Speech & Language, and Developmental Services. I have seen other families struggle with pure medical costs and additional health issues. Just imagine those costs going "cha-ching" every 20 seconds (the rate a child is diagnosed with autism) to an HMO CFO.
Mr Enthoven is concerned that "these burdens will not be spread evenly in California." Very true. How about we all try working together instead of pointing the finger at someone else and say "No, you pay for it"?
I think were all pretty hurting from our current and future economic outlook, especially here in California. I think working families are being made to bail out plenty corporations and bad planning from their governments. Speaking as a working class mom with a special needs child, I think we need some help for our children who are affected by something that is still being figured out. This is not only our future, it is our childrens' as well. Please don't make them pay for our bad behaviour and unwillingness to work together.
My biggest sticking point is that no one knows what is causing autism, or why the number of children diagnosed has raised so drastically over just a few short years. Until this cause has been identified, how can anyone presume to know the methods for treating it effectively or preventing its cause?
From reading the article, I get the impression that the author is telling people that HMOs already cover any medical issues related to autism, and that "extensive educational and behavioral services for autistic children" should continue to not be covered because they are not medically related. How can he say this if we truly don't know the cause for autism, let alone effective ways to cope with it? And from personal experience, I can say that my HMO does not cover all medical costs associated with autism; I also resent reading the sentence "Families of autistic children will find ways to get covered by HMOs." No, they won't. Especially if they are already overwhelmed with trying to keep their families afloat with one (or more) less jobs and rising tax rates.
What if the cause for some cases of autism are the result of reactions to something in the environment, like asbestos or second-hand smoke? What if we stopped HMO coverage for cancer? And why does this person assume that one policy fits all for everyone affected by autism, because if there's one thing I've learned it's that autism affects everyone differently.
I understand the cause for concern. As the parent of a child on the spectrum, I know how high costs can quickly add up for services such as Occupational Therapy, Speech & Language, and Developmental Services. I have seen other families struggle with pure medical costs and additional health issues. Just imagine those costs going "cha-ching" every 20 seconds (the rate a child is diagnosed with autism) to an HMO CFO.
Mr Enthoven is concerned that "these burdens will not be spread evenly in California." Very true. How about we all try working together instead of pointing the finger at someone else and say "No, you pay for it"?
I think were all pretty hurting from our current and future economic outlook, especially here in California. I think working families are being made to bail out plenty corporations and bad planning from their governments. Speaking as a working class mom with a special needs child, I think we need some help for our children who are affected by something that is still being figured out. This is not only our future, it is our childrens' as well. Please don't make them pay for our bad behaviour and unwillingness to work together.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)