On Tuesday, the Assembly Health Committee heard testimony on a radical proposal that would exempt from immunization requirments children whose parents have "conscientious objections" to vaccinations. The bill, introduced by Charlotte Vandervalk and cosponsored 20 other members of the Assembly, would undermine New Jersey's current and longstanding policy requiring immunization of children attending a school or child care facility in the state.
A the hearing, committee chairman Herb Conaway blocked the bill by refusing to hold a vote on it. Conaway, a physician, called the proposal a "recipe for disaster." Dr. Conaway is right.
Currently, New Jersey permits only religious exemptions from its vaccine requirements. This bill would allow an exemption to children whose parents sign a form that says that they "understand[] the potential benefits of immunization and the risks in not immunizing." The statement accompanying the bill reveals its true implications:
This bill would allow New Jersey to join with other states that grant individuals the right to manage their health or their children's health as they deem appropriate. (emphasis added)
This statement is utterly incompatible with a policy of mandatory immunization. If we allow parents to evade immunization requirements on the grounds that they are "manag[ing] their ... children's health as they deem appropriate," we will subordinate the state's vaccination requirement to each parent's decision about whether getting their children vaccinated against a particular disease is worth the costs and the percieved risks. The very purpose of a mandatory vaccination policy is to take this decision out of parents' hands.
The biggest supporters of the bill back it because they believe that the medical consensus on vaccines is incorrect. They believe that vaccines cause, or at least contribute to, autism. Scientists, doctors, and public health officials overwhelmingly reject this conclusion, and the vast majority of studies have found no link between vaccinations and autism. The anti-vaccine movement has caused vaccination rates to drop, which may be linked with recent outbreaks of pertussis (whooping cough).
What the supporters of the bill are asking for is truly extraordinary. They want the state to exempt from a regulation those who disagree with the policy findings behind that regulation. Needless to say, we rarely allow people to avoid regulation simply because they they think it is bad policy. Schoolchildren who refuse to take the state standardized test are not allowed to graduate, even if they refused because they think the state's test is flawed. If a zoning board denies you a variance to build a shed on your property, you cannot build the shed anyway simply because you think the policies underlying the zoning ordinance is dumb. "I'm a skilled driver who can travel safely at 100 MPH," is no defense to a speeding ticket. No lawmaker would seriously propose that the schoolchild, the property-owner, and the speeder should be exempt from regulation because they disagree with the policy.
While the bill's supporters may portray the bill as a narrow exception, in reality, the bill undermines the state's mandatory immunization policy. Make no mistake, the debate over this bill is really a debate over whether we should require immunizations to begin with. New Jersey's mandatory immunization policy has served the state well, and I think we should keep it. If we do change the policy, we should not change it based on the misinformation spread by the anti-vaccine movement.
Below the fold, I explore the policy rationales for immunization requirements and present a more detailed description of the anti-vaccine movement.
Promoted by Rosi - This is a little outside our usual subject matter. It's not directly about politics in the way most of our diaries are. But damn it, I love this diary. I've read it 5 times, and this kid is amazing - and so are the teachers and kids surrounding him. And his parents. Good diary for a chilly Sunday night.
My son Adam is a member of the Manchester Regional High School Falcons, Freshman Basketball Team. He is officially listed as manager/alternate as he is developmentally disabled and although extremely passionate about basketball, he does not possess the ability to reach the skill level required to be a regular member of the team.
Regardless of that, Coach Forestieri and Coach Sponzilli, have made Adam's dreams come true. In all but one game, Coach Forestieri and the other coaches have put Adam in to actual play towards the end of the game. Adam's teammates have given up opportunities to win, in order to allow Adam time in the game. Adam has a career of 4 pts now!!
I am writing this today because their "record" is horrible so no one is paying attention to, what I know has to be, the team with the best sportsmanship and humanity in the league.
Today, Manchester has a home game against Elmwood Park and the "Make a Difference Club" a club for the Bergen County Special Services Program housed at Manchester (Adam's program) will be there to support Adam and the Falcons. Not only has the athletic department at Manchester Regional High School gone above and beyond to help my son but in doing so, they are teaching important life lessons beyond the scope of a traditional basketball program. They deserve to be recognized as the outstanding leaders they are.
Also, Adam's teammates deserve recognition for patiently providing Adam with support and guidance and never letting him feel that he is anything but equal to them as a player and member of the team. (Let me remind you these are freshman boys behaving so humanely, so beautifully)
As a side note: "The Make a Difference Club" is a club formed for special needs students to participate in afterschool activities. After initial announcements went out asking for the support of the mainstream student community to join this club, the response was overwhelming. This was Sandi Cortazzo's dream when we approached her about possible after school activities for Adam and it has been tremendously successful.
My husband, Michael, and I felt that today is so special because these two groups are coming together today and what a special gift we have as Adam's parents to be able to part of it. Adam, a member of the "club" as well as a "basketball player", is fulfilling his dreams in ways few people can understand.
I think of him as Pinocchio because all we wants so desperately is to be "a real normal boy" and Manchester Regional High School along with Bergen County Special Services, together, are his "blue fairy" and have made his dreams come true.
Calling it the reason he got into public life, Governor Corzine signed legislation last Thursday making New Jersey the 15th state to mandate health insurers cover treatments for autism and developmental disabilities.
Here's a video put out by the Assembly Majority Office from the bill signing:
And here's a video put out by the Governor's campaign where a mother of a child with autism casts there fight as one of David versus Goliath when talking about fighting with the insurance companies to get things covered:A studay of fourteen states by the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found one in every 150 children diagnosed with autism, with New Jersey shaving the highest rate in the country with one in 94. The reason for the higher rates have been a constant source of questions.
On the politics of the issue, you may remember that autism coverage was one of the many treatments named during the dust up over Chris Christie's health insurance proposals and his idea to offer mandate free insurance. One of the sponsors of the new autism coverage law, Steve Sweeney took aim at Christie yesterday over the issue:
"It's outrageous that Christie would let insurers off the hook - they should cover these treatments that can make a real difference in the lives of children with developmental disabilities and their families," said Sweeney. "Governor Corzine and Democrats in the Legislature worked hard to make New Jersey a national leader in providing support for the thousands of families who are living with the challenges of autism. Christie would stop New Jersey's progress and families would again have to mortgage their futures to pay for the immediate health needs of their children."
Sweeney said the Governor's running mate, Loretta Weinberg, also has been a strong advocate for New Jersey families with a loved one with autism. He said that as prime sponsor of the new law she worked tirelessly to ensure the legislation passed both the Senate and Assembly in June.
The health insurance issue and mandates is certain to be a focus of the campaign in the fall. In the mean time under the new law, families should have one less concern when caring for their children.
The bill requires insurers to cover the cost of autism treatments deemed medically necessary, such as physical, speech and occupational therapy, along with behavioral intervention. The Assembly overwhelmingly passed it Thursday.
That came a week after the Senate approved the measure, which would cap coverage at $36,000 annually for patients ages 21 and younger.
Here's some reaction to the measure, which has been a long fight for many:
"Families that have a loved one with autism should not be expected to shoulder the financial hardships of this disorder alone," said Vincent Prieto, D-Secaucus, who co-sponsored the bill with Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr., D-Brooklawn, and Assemblywoman Joan Voss, D-Fort Lee.
"Requiring health insurers to cover therapies for autistic children early in their lives ensures they receive the treatments they most need when it will make the greatest impact," Prieto said.
[snip]
Treating autism spectrum disorders early ensures that these children learn basic life skills, which can have lifelong impacts, often mitigating some of the challenges faced by many adults with autism," Voss said.
NJ has a higher rate of autism at 1 in 94 than the nationwide average of 1 in 152. Hopefully when the Governor signs it, this legislation will help families get the treatment they need for their loved ones.
Here's a pretty good video release from the Assembly Democrats with highlights of the testimony and comments discussing autism legislation that advance from committee on Monday:
The measure (A-2238) follows the 2007 enactment of seven laws that made New Jersey a national leader in providing support to families with autistic members. It would require health insurers to cover the expenses of treatments deemed medically necessary for autism-spectrum disorders, which include Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Asperger's Disorder and Rhett's Syndrome. Insurance coverage would be extended to physical, speech and occupational therapies, as well as behavioral interventions.
Joining the elected officials at the hearing was Bob Wright, co-founder of autism speaksThe statistics are staggering and the costs are even greater. The bill heads to the Assembly now for a full vote. New Jersey would be the 11th state in the nation to provide mandatory treatment for autistic individuals, with respect to behavioral intervention, occupational, speech and physical therapy if the bill became a law.
Cost of lifelong care can be reduced by 2/3 with early diagnosis and intervention
In 10 years, the annual cost will be $200-400 billion
The widespread effects and the healthcare costs are staggering. A recent study shows that New Jersey, with approximately 1 in 94 children affected, has the highest autism rate in the nation.
A package of bills passed the Assembly back in March. Does Blue Jersey know what's going on with our state's efforts to diagnose, care for, research and prevent autism?
The Assembly today passed a package of legislation to help combat the growing problem of autism which is facing so many NJ Families. The package includes the following bills:
A4054 Autism Research/Treatment-change council
A4055 Teachers-autism awareness instruction
A4056 Autism-concerns Early Intervention Program
A4057 Adults w/ Autism Task Force-estab.
A4058 Autism awareness prog.-estab.
A4059 Autism med. research/treatment-extend
ACR217 Children's Health Insur Prog-fed funding
ACR247 Autism and ultrasound-study relationship
McKeon said the need for a significant increase in autism services was underscored by a February federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's study that found New Jersey to have the nation's highest reported rate of autism - one of out of every 94 children. The national rate is one out of 150 children.
The numbers are staggering and keep going up. Lets hope this package starts to address some of the problems of autism.
With it's recent ruling, the New Jersey Supreme Court took a major step forward in defending the defenseless. By striking down a number of eligibility restrictions that served as barriers for the developmentally disabled and their families to receive care, our fair state will take a major step forward to providing for those most in need of help. The question now becomes one of money, priorities and morals.
There has been a dramatic and incredible finding just out yesterday regarding the latest autism study. http://www.medpageto...
In NJ, unlike the rest of the country where autism strikes 1 in about 150 children, it stikes as many as 1 in 94 children. It is devastating and getting worse. There is a GENETIC basis for autism and they found the area of the genome involved. It is the part of our DNA that is responsible for creating the infrastructure of our nervous system that specifically uses glutamate as a neurotransmitter. This is the most major advance in autism research in decades. It should make us re-examine our approach to dealing with autism in NJ.
Those of us concerned about food additives have been following the autism story very closely because we suspected autism was at least in some way connected to the overuse of food additives like MSG and aspartame which break down into the neurotransmitters glutamate and aspartate - which is converted to glutamate in one step. Now we find out that is exactly the case. MSG may not CAUSE these disorders, they are genetic, but MSG and aspartame may be the environmental triggers that affect these children adversely because their ability to use glutamate as a neurotransmitter is faulty.
I can't tell you how, after researching this for over 15 years how HUGE this autism breakthrough really is. I have added more information on my website http://msgtruth.org about this with even more links. Now all the myriad symptoms of both autism and MSG syndrome make perfect sense. Those with severe MSG sensitivity may also actually have a genetic cause for their suffering.
This is a HUGE story for NJ parents of children with autism and a true watershed moment for research here in NJ.
The Utah numbers, while alarming, also reflect progress, showing better diagnosis and referral of milder cases, said Dr. William McMahon, director of the Utah Autism Research Program at the U. and co-principal investigator for Utah's study.
"However, our understanding of autism can be compared to medical understanding of fever in the 18th century. While we recognize the symptoms of autism, we have yet to discover the cause and translate that knowledge into cure and prevention," he said in a news release about the research.
I hope these numbers encourage people to do more than just diagnose and treat, but rather work towards finding that cure to prevent.
I am extremely pleased that the Combating Autism Act is finally law. This bill calls for $945 million in federal funding over five years for autism research, treatment, and education. However, while the Combating Autism Act describes the need for federal funding, the bill does not actually provide any money.
President Bush, when signing the Combating Autism Act into law, hailed its passage. Now, it is even more important that the President send Congress a budget request with $945 million dollars specifically earmarked for autism education and research. By working together, Democrats and the President can ensure that autism is prioritized when Congress begins debating the 2008 budget next year.
I'm ever so grateful that our boys are healthy and right-on-track developmentally. But I'm also mindful that we dodged many bullets along the road to get where we are.
We've seen this President sign such bills with a flair and a flourish and then somehow forget to fund them (anyone remember "Each No Child Left Behind"?). I'm looking forward to a new Democratic majority where we can be sure that bills that are meant to help people actually get funded and oversight is more than an excuse for forgetting to hold Halliburton accountable.
