Autism rates among American children have risen steadily over the past 30 years, but advocates say funding for assistance has not kept pace with the need for services.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one in 30 eight-year-olds will be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, up 52% from 2017 and 178% since 2000.
Advocates for health and social services say early intervention is helping more Illinois children with developmental disabilities, but insurance and other support programs need to improve.
Maureen Karwowski, vice president of clinical services for DuPage and Fox Valley’s Easterseals, said Medicaid covers some diagnoses and treatments, but that policy hasn’t been updated in years.
“There are a very limited number of families with Medicaid as a source of funding, and the providers they serve are very limited in the number of clients with Medicaid they can accept. We will try to find a way to sustain it over the long term.”
Karwowski reports that her agency sees as many as 1,000 children a week to diagnose medical conditions, provide developmental therapy to families, and promote healthy social, emotional, and intellectual relationships between caregivers and children. building positive interactions.
Karwowski pointed out that the Easterseals Clinic specializes in early evaluation of children as young as 2 years old to determine if the child is on the autism spectrum. The clinic also offers occupational therapists, speech therapists, and mental health therapists. She said each child is evaluated and placed into individual programs.
“We have an autism diagnostic clinic with psychologists and dozens of therapists who look at all areas of development,” Karwowski emphasized. “We know that early diagnosis and early really good assessment can really help families start their journey.”
Karwowski stressed that an average of 1,600 children are referred to early intervention providers each month, but Illinois doesn’t have enough therapists to treat them. She added that the state needs to update her 10-year-old pay scale for her Medicaid providers.
Disclosure: Easterseals DuPage and Fox Valley donate to our fund for reporting on children’s issues, disabilities, early childhood education and health issues. If you would like to support the news for public good, click here.
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The North Dakota legislator is due to return to Bismarck early next month. They’ll hear calls to help seniors with prescription drug costs at the top of the list.
Legislators discussed ways to address rising costs at the last session, including adopting a price transparency program.
But proponents say more needs to be done. Based on their outreach, Janelle Moos, director of advocacy for AARP North Dakota, added that these costs remain the biggest concern and don’t just affect people over the age of 50. .
“Rising health care costs are affecting the entire state of North Dakota,” Moose said.
An Interim Commission recently considered the issue and published legislation calling for the creation of a pilot program related to Civil Service Retirement Schemes.
We look at the top 25 most expensive drugs and compare them to Canadian prices in hopes of making them more affordable.
Moos acknowledges that such a plan would receive pushback from the pharmaceutical industry.
More broadly, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America says such efforts will lead to new treatments and fewer treatments.
Meanwhile, AARP is seeking reparations as law enforcement and consumer advocates amplify warnings about fraud and its impact on vulnerable populations.
Moose said the prevalence of these incidents should prompt reparations.
“While we’re not trying to make victims wholly, we’re serious about how we can expose consumer fraud as a crime,” Moos said. “And there are victims affected by it, often losing hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Funding accessible and affordable housing, and funding safe, cost-effective long-term care services are other priorities of senior advocates.
Legislators will have additional high-profile issues such as improved parenting and debates about agricultural regulation.
Disclosure: AARP North Dakota donates to our fund for civic engagement, community affairs and volunteerism, health issues, and reporting on senior citizen issues. If you would like to support the news for public good, click here.
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Advocacy groups in Pennsylvania will gather on the steps of the State Capitol for a “Revised Harrisburg” rally on Jan. 3, the first day of a new session of the General Assembly calling for changes to legislative rule.
A recent report by a group of Fair Districts PA found that 93% of the bills submitted during the last session have not yet been scheduled for a final vote.
Carol Kuniholm, chairman of Fair Districts PA, said on average only about 7% of the bills submitted at each session reach the final vote.
“House Resolution 1 or Senate Resolution 1 will be the rules that govern what happens over the next two years,” Knyholm explained. “We say, ‘Don’t vote if the rules are bad. Ask for better rules, ask for temporary rules, make changes if necessary.'”
The report also showed that during the session, members of both parties signed as cosponsors of a number of bills affecting both rural and urban Pennsylvania. However, many are still waiting for the first vote to remove them from the committee.
In all parts of Pennsylvania, Kuniholm said the Pennsylvania Fair District will meet with other advocacy groups this month to discuss not just legislative rules, but ways to reorganize electoral districts and strengthen civic engagement. I pointed out that She added that her last legislative session ended without resolving many issues.
“There have been campaign promises to fix Pennsylvania’s reliance on property taxes, but nothing has materialized,” Knyholm outlined. “Since the 1970s, there have been reports of underfunding and understaffing firefighters. Concerns about broadband have largely fallen behind in rural Pennsylvania for two decades, with broadband lagging behind.”
She added that she is trying to pass a restructuring reform bill, but the leadership is blocking it, even though it has more co-sponsors than any other bill in Congress.
Reports show that it is not uncommon for a bill to be blocked by one person. And in recent years, half of the bills passed by the Senate have been ignored by the House, and 60% of the bills passed by the House have been ignored by the Senate.
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When North Dakota legislators meet again next month, they have a number of recommendations to consider for improving parenting, including a new policy framework offered by a statewide group.
The North Dakota Child Care Action Alliance said it had put together a proposal after holding six listening sessions earlier this year. The group calls for the creation of a workforce fund to provide additional wages and support continuing education and training.
Zach Packineau, director of outreach and programming for the North Dakota Voices Network and member of the alliance, said setting aside dollars to provide competitive salaries could help care centers face recruitment and retention issues. Said it would help a lot to deal with.
“We need to change the perception of childcare workers and the work of childcare workers,” argued Pacquinoe. “They’re more than just babysitting glories. They’re teachers, educators helping the state’s kids reach some very important milestones.”
Federal data show that the average wage for a childcare worker in North Dakota is about $11 an hour, just above the poverty level for a family of three.
In September, Gov. Doug Burgum announced a work plan to address the state’s child care crisis, including expanding the eligible pool for child care assistance programs and adding a state child care tax credit.
Alliance members say the governor’s plan is a step in the right direction, but hope the state will adopt a strong final plan that makes wages a key factor.
Packineau stressed that lawmakers need to keep an open mind as parents are still struggling to find affordable care.
“This crisis is so big that we really need long-term, innovative solutions,” Paquinnaud argued.
The coalition said North Dakota needs about 10,000 more childcare slots to meet the demand of young children with working parents. To staff these additional slots, the state needs at least 1,400 childcare workers.
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