Elections and Autism

I was very impressed last week that BOTH Clintons mentioned autism families in their speeches. It made me think the autism parents who lobby and fight so hard are being heard by politicians. That is a great sign. The bummer is the Clintons are using the autism examples to push for universal health care. That is not the problem. Even if you have health insurance, the companies do not want to pay for needed therapies or only give you 20-30 sessions a year. That's about like saying, we know you are sick, but will only cover your treatment from January-March and the rest of the year, good luck! The real issue is pushing the insurance companies to cover what is necessary, not just give everyone insurance. While I was glad to hear the Clintons mention autism families and their struggles, I think they missed the point a bit. I was, however, very happy to hear Sarah Palin say she'd be an advocate for special needs families. That's what we need, an advocate, not someone pushing their own agenda in the name of autism. The current president has never even mentioned a childhood disease that in his administration has outpaced childhood obesity, leukemia and other illnesses. Let's hope someone in Washington will declare a war on autism like they've declared wars on cancer and other health crisis! I hope whoever wins pushes for answers and coverage for those battling autism day-to-day. That's my 2 cents, for what it's worth!