Parents, families rally at state Capital for autism insurance coverage

Families touched by Autism from around the state filled the Capitol Rotunda yesterday to support legislation that would cover the diagnosis and treatment of the developmental disorder that has risen dramatically in prevalence in recent decades.

The bill’s prime sponsor, Rep. Brendan Williamsknows all too well the toll the disability can take on a family, with a nephew of his own diagnosed with Autism. That experience has made him a leader in the state Legislature on the issue, pushing for better services for those afflicted, as well as better research into the growing epidemic.

It’s a need that’s currently going unmet, says citizen-advocate Arzu Forough, the founder of Washington Autism Advocacy (WAA), the group that helped organize the rally. “It’s very troubling that every single zip code in the state is now represented as reporting lacking in essential basic resources such as appropriate healthcare and research based education and family stability .”

Arzu, the parent of two children with autism, founded the WAA to help other parents navigate a health care system and agency bureaucracies that still have few answers and little support for families.

It’s why they came to Olympia – to put a human face on autism, and show their support for a bill they know will assist those families struggling to meet the special needs of those with autism.

Brendan introduced HB 1210 during the 2009 legislative session, which would require equal coverage by health insurers for autism conditions, along the same lines as a law passed in 2005, which provided health coverage to those suffering from mental illness. The bill has broad and bi-partisan support from his legislative colleagues, yet failed to pass last year. Despite the setback, and despite a state budget crunch that’s reining in any new spending, he isn’t giving up, believing this to be not only a health care issue, but a civil rights issue as well.

Brendan also serves on the state Autism Task Force tasked with studying, and making recommendations to the Legislature regarding the growing incidence of autism and ways to improve the delivery and coordination of autism services in the state.

For his commitment to helping families with autism, Brendan received the Autism Society of Washington’s 2009 legislator of the year award.

For more information about the WAA, visit: http://www.washingtonautismadvocacy.org

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