Blog Archive 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 12, 2012 CONTACT: Mike Foley, 206-448-4148  Afterhours, 206-448-4056 CONTACT CLASS COUNSEL: Eleanor Hamburger, 206-223-0303 Rick Spoonemore, 206-223-0303 Sirianni Youtz Spoonemore Group Health Cooperative to Offer Special Autism Benefit in Washington State Court settlement would extend autism coverage to include applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy SEATTLE  – Group Health Cooperative and Sirianni Youtz […]

Representatives from Washington Department of Health (DOH) and the Healthcare Authority were on hand to answer questions.  Based upon comments from Behavior Anaylsts participating, very few existing BCBA's qualify for the licensure required to practice independently (option one). On Thursday, June 14, 2012 the Washington State Health Care Authority unveiled it's proposed it's delivery model […]

Washington Autism Alliance and advocacy hails United States District Judge, Honorable Robert Lasnik's order on Friday June 1st, 2012, granting a permanent injunction against Group Health Cooperative of Washington, invalidating the long standing practice of excluding Neurodevelopmental (i.e. Speech, Occupational and Physical) therapies for children over 6 years old in their ERISA plans! ERISA plans […]

The "Keeping All Students Safe Act," introduced by Senator Tom Harkin, and Congressman George Miller will protect children nationwide from restraint and seclusion in schools. A Government Accountability Office study found hundreds of cases of alleged abuse and death from restraint and seclusion in school. They included a young teen who hanged himself in a […]