Blog Archive 2014

MENTAL-health parity sounds great on paper. Passed by the state Legislature in 2005 and U.S. Congress in 2008, laws require health-insurance companies to cover mental-health care on par with physical-health care. The Affordable Care Act further stiffened that mandate. But parity has too often been an empty promise. Insurers have continued to impose restrictions on […]

Federal District Judge Michael H. Simon has found the Catholic Heath provider Providence's exclusion of autism and developmental disabilities exclusion violates Oregon's Mental Health Parity (virtually identical to Washington'sMental Health Parity) and the Federal Mental Health Parity Act. In a 26 page order issued today, judge Simmons wrote "By stating that it covers autism (a developmental disability), […]

Parents of my patients tell me that haircuts, blood draws, and dental visits can be some of the most challenging experiences for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The underlying themes here are unfamiliarity, unpredictability, and physical invasiveness. I don’t have a lot of experience trying to get a child to sit for a haircut or […]

Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA) has greatly improved its model policy on student seclusion and restraint in public schools.  WAAA raised concerns about a problematic model policy (3247) and requested a revision in a letter to WSSDA on 3 10 14.  Our records indicated 19 school districts had adopted or were considering adoption of this policy. […]