Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Scientists Forge Autism Advisory Panel To Advance Research, Understanding
The Washington Post: Scientists Form Independent Autism Panel, Citing Concerns Over RFK Jr.
A group of prominent scientists launched an independent autism advisory panel Tuesday over fears that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has politicized the key federal autism advisory board he oversees. The shadow committee will focus on developing a coordinated scientific agenda for autism research and will function as a counterweight to the advisory board Kennedy reshaped in January by appointing new members. Many of those members have echoed his controversial views, including promoting debunked claims linking vaccines to autism and advocating for unproven treatments. (Sun, 3/3)
Modern Healthcare: How Autism Care Startups Navigate ABA Scrutiny, Medicaid Pay Cuts
Health tech companies specializing in autism care find themselves under the microscope, navigating a world where private and public insurers are scrutinizing treatments and therapies. In the past year, state Medicaid plans in North Carolina, Nebraska, Idaho and Indiana either have attempted to or been successful at cutting payments to providers offering applied behavioral analysis. Private insurers such as UnitedHealth Group have limited coverage for autism care in some states. (Perna, 3/3)
More news about people with disabilities —
The New York Times: Colleges See Spike In Students With Disabilities, Including Elite Schools
The number of college students reporting disabilities rose more than 50 percent over the last decade across a wide swath of schools, including at some of the most selective universities in the nation, according to a New York Times analysis of government data. The rise, which has corresponded with an increase in A.D.H.D., autism and other diagnoses, has also meant an increase in the number of students requiring accommodations, such as more time to take tests. While some colleges and students have embraced the trend, saying it shows schools are opening their doors to students who might previously have been shut out, it has raised worries that some could be gaming the system. (Arsenault and Rich, 3/2)
WYPR: Maryland Legislators Introduce Bills To Help Locate People With Disabilities Who Elope
A bipartisan group of Maryland lawmakers are introducing a bundle of five bills to better locate people with disabilities who elope from their homes. The LEAD Act focuses on people throughout their lifetimes that may be at risk for elopement, ranging from children with autism to adults with disabilities to older adults living with dementia. (Maucione, 3/3)
Axios: Chicago Company Offers Model As Illinois Phases Out Subminimum Wages
Illinois will phase out subminimum wages for workers with disabilities by 2029. Easterseals' HB Threads apparel company has always paid its workers above minimum wage, and all associates make at least Chicago's $15 hourly minimum wage, director Korrey Kooistra told Axios during a visit. (Shepherd, 3/3)
AP: Vocal Tic At BAFTA Leaves Black Tourette Syndrome Community With Mixed Feelings
For Black people living with Tourette syndrome, the British Academy Film and Television Arts Awards incident earlier this week where a vocal tic manifested as a racial slur while two Black stars of the movie “Sinners” were onstage has left them with complicated feelings. “It’s been pretty difficult because I feel like there’s such a clash between both sides,” said Chloe Winston, 24, who experiences coprolalia, the same verbal tic as John Davidson, the BAFTA nominee and Tourette syndrome advocate who yelled the slur. “A tic is not intentional, but it still causes harm. And I think that does require accountability.” (Tang, 2/28)
AP: Birding Becomes More Accessible To People With Disabilities
Wearing an oxygen pack on her back for her COPD, Marcia OBara is leading a group of nature enthusiasts on a mission to see birds. They carry walking sticks on the flat trails, moving at their own pace, without pressure or competition and enjoying a sense of community. This is Birding for Every BODY, one of numerous such excursions offered each month by the nonprofit Tucson Bird Alliance with Arizona’s Pima County. (Snow, 3/1)
