Dear Governor Dayton, Minnesota State Senate and Minnesota State House,

On behalf of my family and hundreds of families in MN, I am asking you to support an omnibus healthcare bill called HF 3172. 

My name is Feroza Mehta and my son, Aidan, is five and has autism spectrum disorder. Autism has become a national problem affecting 1 in 68 children, threatening the very future of our country. If we do not address the problem aggressively today to make these 1 in every 68 kids as high functioning and independent as possible, these individuals will grow up to become adults that will be dependent on society and government for everyday needs.

In many cases, kids with autism can be taught to function independently and grow up to be productive members of society.  So far, we have been able to get coverage through the Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association (MCHA). It was the insurance of last resort for many Minnesotans because it was the only insurance plan that would not deny someone based on previous conditions. But since the introduction of MNSure, MCHA is being phased out. And autism is not

an essential benefit and won't be until 2016. MCHA ends on Dec. 31, 2014. This means there is NO coverage for autism therapies through the whole year of 2015. Regular insurance doesn't even cover occupational therapy or speech therapy or feeding therapy if the diagnosis code of autism is written down by the provider.

Hundreds of families in the state of Minnesota will be under significant and in some cases crippling financial hardship due to have no way to pay for our children's treatment in 2015. MNSure does not cover any autism therapies and they are very costly. 

I am asking you to support an omnibus healthcare bill called HF 3172. It will allow Aidan and other children on the spectrum to switch to MA TEFRA. Currently, MA TEFRA fees are on a sliding scale. Parents have to pay a certain percentage of income per month to have MA TEFRA. It can cost parents anywhere between $600 to $4000 or more a month. HF 3172  will allow MCHA families to get on MA TEFRA and only pay $350 a month - the amount of money paid for a child-only policy on MNSure.    

If this bill does NOT get passed, Minnesotan families will have no choice but to go on MA TEFRA and pay the high fees. One family I know pays $800 a month, drives an old van with more than 100,000 miles on it and can't afford to fix their rotting windows. The TEFRA fee goes straight onto the credit card. Another family had the father quit his high-paying job and take a position as a delivery man to pay less of a TEFRA fee. And that's not enough. They have to ask their 80-year-old parents to help pay bills. Can you imagine asking your aging parents to help pay your bills? Some parents are divorcing so their income will be less. This is tearing families apart and causing so much stress. We need to support our children with autism and provide them with therapy, not be worrying on how to pay for it.   Please sign this petition and get us to help Minnesota's autistic children and their families