What’s the Cost of Autism Coverage?
According to a cost estimate by the Wisconsin Department of Administration’s Division of Executive Budget and Finance, the cost of health insurance coverage for autistic children whose parents already have insurance is about 10 million dollars.
That’s right, 10 million dollars is all it will take to make sure the therapy for each and every autistic child is ensured of being covered under their parents’ health insurance coverage. Now sure, 10 million dollars is a heck of a lot of money, especially considering our state’s current fiscal situation, but let’s put that 10 million dollars into perspective.
- Seven million dollars could get paper mill reopened in Park Falls, the largest community in the district of Republican Representative Mary Williams of Medford.
- Four million dollars could buy one - just one, no more than that - brand new soybean crusher for the district of Republican Representative Brett Davis of Oregon.
So sure, 10 million dollars is a lot of money, but so is the 11 million dollars in “persuasion” that some Assembly Republicans got in the last state budget. I know I’m biased, but if I had to choose between spending 10 million dollars on providing health insurance coverage to autistic children for the therapy they need or spending 11 million dollars on pet projects to get Republicans to vote for the state budget, I choose health insurance coverage for autistic children.
February 27th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Nice. Did you total the Democrat pork? It would cover the cost.
Of course not. Beacause they had the compassion to be sure that small businesses pick up the cost of the mandate (you know big business is excluded right?)?
February 27th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Awww…c’mon now. If you’d taken the opportunity to read SB178, you’d know the mandate only applies to insurance providers that contract to provide health insurance for state employees. Last time I checked, the state of Wisconsin and its various agencies are hardly a small business.
Get your facts right before you start throwing mud.
February 28th, 2008 at 7:57 am
Last time I checked, Evansville is in Sen. Erpenbach’s district and Park Falls is in Sen. Decker’s district.
February 28th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Ah, but you’re missing the point Mat. My issue here is Republican opposition to SB178 on the grounds that it’s too expensive, yet some of those same Republicans seem to have no problem getting some of their own pet projects put into the budget.