"Jus' telling our truth," candidly explained my autism parent friend about the blog post featuring her family's healthcare plight. I cannot even recall now how I discovered the blog post excerpted with permission below….Late 2010, I featured creative autism advocate Tammy Vice performing one of her songs about her journey with autism in a blog post entitled "Know the Hope." Vice has even written a song about the issue below, called The Medical Insurance Blues, sung and performed–of course–blues-style.
Says Vice: "I've been very clear that I am not pushing anyone's political agenda. I am speaking as a mother who wants real healthcare for her child. This is how I would explain it to Morgan. Some things are not only red or blue. Heathcare is purple. In the disability world, we see things in a different light,…sometimes piercingly bright. And if we don't talk about what we see, it will continue to be overlooked."
photo of Tammy & Morgan Vice by Rebekah Pope from our book, From Heartache to Hope: Middle Tennessee Families Living with Autism
"My husband has worked at the same dealership for 11 years. Each year we felt more helpless. While the price of our group coverage continued to rise and the deductible steadily went up from $500 per person to $5000 per person, the benefits actually decreased. Because our daughter has autism, we had no other option but to stay in the group plan.
"This year the group coverage went up another $200 a month. We found ourselves in a place where it was beyond what our budget could bear. And with the loss of the Chevrolet franchise at that dealership, my husband was forced to look for employment elsewhere. This left us without group insurance, but thanks to health care reform, insurance companies could no longer turn down our daughter.
"In Tennessee, the insurance company was allowed to charge a 300% markup on Morgan because of the autism. The individual plan we were able to purchase actually costs us over $100 less than what the group coverage was charging for a similar plan with that same insurance company.
"We still have a long way to go to get health care, the fact that we are no longer subject to a lifetime max that could bankrupt us, and the fact that our daughter can no longer be denied for coverage – gives us more control and freedom in our health care. Please don’t let this reform be taken away and give the control and freedom to deny and bankrupt us back to insurance companies.
Writes blogger Justin Wilkin: Tammy and her family aren't alone. In fact 2,800,000 Tennesseans have pre-existing conditions who, because of the Affordable Care Act, can no longer be denied by insurance companies access to the insurance that helps pay for their medication, treatment, preventative care, etc.
[…]This year, the Affordable Care Act
…But we all know that this is not a done deal and that…and I WILL be political…Republicans threatened to undo this Good. Let's follow Vice and speak up for Purple healthcare….
Thanks for the post. A robocall the other day almost gave me a stroke because the caller said the new healthcare plan took control away from families and we should call on our legislators to repeal it so families could make their own healthcare decisions! Until this legislation, health insurance companies made all the decisions and could change those decisions whenever they wanted. Individuals had no control. They also claimed autism as a preexisting condition when we’ve had the same insurance since before my boy was conceived.
I hope people are not taken in by the lies.
You might figure that you and I are on different sides of this debate – not in the particulars – because the story wrends my heart – but on the generals. But I’m glad I read what you wrote Leisa. It made me think. I respect your truly informed opinion – and no politics here – just respect for your thinking, your heart, and your spirit. God Bless.
P.S. how come all the other Leisa’s spell their name wrong??(◠‿◠)
Spectrum Mom, thanks for commenting & sharing your valuable perspective. R u aware of the irony that you said the call almost gave you a stroke?…. 😉
Craig, thank you for the gift of visiting my site and commenting. I think the important take-away here is that although you may be red and I may be blue, the important thing, is that we disagree in a civil manner. It is most distressing that our country has taken part in so much hateful dissension the last two years, when we all want the same thing: our own personal security–however we each define that. The dissension stems from when we fail to recognize one anothers’ basic, universal human need and then demonize the differing strategies we each take to meet our needs. Have I communicated that in a way that makes sense?
Furthermore, what your words, Craig, illustrate here is that you were able to suspend your view long enough to listen to the heart-wrenching needs of another. Peaceful dialogue & lessening dissension starts with truly listening and hearing anothers’ needs. Again, “we” may still come away w/ differing strategies to meet our individual needs, but something has shifted. We’ve heard and resonated with one anothers’ shared/mutual humanity. Doing so has the capacity to shift our perspectives (not saying it changes it always)and elicit greater compassion vs. labeling another.
I realize that despite my friend’s apolitcal view, I wratched it up with my own political view. Guilty. But that’s discourse. And, it’s my blog. (Wink.)(Smile.)
Namaste.
As a mother just starting down this road with a young child, I am overwhelmed by the power my insurance company has over my son. In order for many services (speech therapy, OT, PT, etc.) to be billed, he needs a diagnosis – a label. But once that label is applied, the insurance company can charge more for his coverage. It’s a catch 22 we can’t escape for him. And at the end of the day, whether he’s labeled ASD, CAS, PDD NOS, or something else doesn’t change the fact that he’s my baby and he needs someone to help him learn to speak, learn to play, learn to communicate. Being “othered” by the insurance companies is just not helpful in his journey.
Sigh. True.
Jus’ telling our truth, candidly explained my autism parent friend about the blog post featuring her family’s healthcare plight. I cannot even recall now how I discovered the blog post excerpted with permission below….Late 2010, I featured creative autism advocate…
Wow. I’ve been reading your stuff for about a year now and this is basically the only sh*t I dont agree with. Give atleast a little credit where credit is due. Kobe got his ass kicked by this so called fluke. So what? Chill out. No one said the Rockets were the best team.
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