Regarding an Article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle 7/24/21 This article frames the problems surrounding the Early Intervention Program, A statewide program that provides key therapies to infants and toddlers who shows developmental delays and have been hamstrung by bureaucratic problems. As a result many community based service providers have left the field which has created an incredible wait time for services that are by definition needed early in the child’s life. But advocates say recently passed legislation would help families across NY to access key intervention for their kids. The program is supposed to guarantee free and quickly available therapies for children up to the age of 3. But advocates say that insurance companies normally reject about 85% of Early Intervention claims.
The long awaited legislation would tax private insurance companies, guaranteeing that they pay about half of $80 million that early intervention charges/bills submitted during an average year.
“many therapist and teachers have left the field because of the challenges of dealing with the insurance process” say Scott Mesh, executive director of Los Ninos Services. This is a private agency that provides early intervention services in Westchester and New York City. Parents have to wait for years for services and sometimes not able to get them, at all.
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Media Office wouldn’t even respond to The USA Today Network about his plans to sign the bill.
The article goes on to say that during the first quarter of 2020-2021 early interventions service providers submitted $14.5 million in claims to insurance companies which paid only $1.9 million only 13.4% Of the 13,000 providers state wide about 3000 have stopped offering services. The bill would save tax payers because now the state and counties pay for early intervention that the insurance companies refuse to pay!!
This website’s purpose is to inform individuals with intellectual disabilities , their families and their care givers about problems that hinder the progress of helping those people and offer solutions. Most of all we need people to to write to our legislators and the NY Governor to remind them to speak for those who often have no voice of their own. Today is the day to write that letter!