this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2024
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UnitedHealth Is Strategically Limiting Access to Critical Treatment for Kids With Autism (www.propublica.org)
submitted 5 days ago by mazelado to c/news
22 comments fedilink hide all child comments
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[–] [email protected] 84 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (3 children)

I'm all in favor of shitting on UHC, but ABA for autism is rather problematic, so they're actually on the same page as the autism community on this one.

EDIT: For those unfamiliar with it, it's basically the autism equivalent of gay conversion therapy, trying to convert autistic children to neurotypical behavior. It's not good for the autistic person's own mental health.

[–] Mortoc 44 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I am an autistic person with an autistic child. “Therapies” that try to get us to act like you should be illegal. And stupid, we evolved as part of humanity for a reason.

I masked my whole life, I don't want my kid to be forced to as well.

Cure ableism not Autism.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 days ago

I'm autistic as well, although I was not diagnosed with it as a kid (they only diagnosed me with a "learning disability" rather than the complicated soup of neurodivergences I have).

I've been lucky to not have to mask much in my life (although I do some, for sure). It's a tragedy that most autistic kids are treated worse than I was. I think they all deserve better.

[–] Poxlox 1 points 3 days ago

I've seen firsthand ABA help plenty of high intensity Autistic children. When a kid is maturating in class constantly or doing tons of self harm, you need to try psychological methods to change that behavior. The equivalent of gay conversion therapy? I have never seen such a whackadoodle take.

[–] banshee 3 points 4 days ago (2 children)

We kept hearing this as well, but our personal experience has been the opposite. I think ABA therapy has changed dramatically over the years and shouldn't be generalized as such. ABA seeks to understand behavior and includes that which is unseen. Specific therapists have certainly been problematic over the years though.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

ABA was highly recommended for my 3 year old, but we did some research and were put off by some of the horror stories. My local school system fortunately has a 3K program for children with developmental disabilities so we decided to just lean on that and revisit our ABA decision later if needed

[–] banshee 3 points 3 days ago

I understand what you mean. The horror stories made us very wary, and we asked a lot of questions before feeling confident that we were talking about an entirely different experience.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The proof will be in what your child tells you, when they feel able to do so.

[–] banshee 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I'm on the fence here, but I think this might be an oversimplification. One of their key challenges was inability to communicate, and it was grossly affecting their happiness. Young children should never be that sad and depressed. Parents have to infer a lot of information, and this increases by several orders of magnitude with ASD children.

We're obviously pro-autism, as pretending someone's brain chemistry is not real benefits no one. ABA has helped overcome mole hills before they become mountains.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago

I'm a nonverbal autistic.

[–] yesman 40 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Regardless of the effectiveness of ABA, this is not a clinical position being taken by UHC, it's a strategic plan that labels autistic children as a burden to their shareholders, an endeavors to shed this burden. It's exactly this kind of ghoulish logic that have normies cheering the murder of insurance executives.

People are waking up to the reality that for-profit health insurance is a parasitic scheme to collect premiums and deny care. The people who profit from this system, the ones who design, and improve upon it, are morally bankrupt and an active threat to the health and well being of most Americans.

I don't call for them to die like Osama Bin Laden, I call for them to live like him, afraid and in hiding.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA 2 points 4 days ago

Why bin laden when they could go like hussein?

[–] [email protected] 27 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The insurer that has been paying for her son’s therapy, UnitedHealthcare, has begun — to the befuddlement of his clinical team — denying him the hours they say he requires to maintain his progress. Inside the insurance conglomerate, the nation’s largest and most profitable, the slashing of care to children like Benji does have a reason, though it has little to do with their needs. It is part of a secret internal cost-cutting campaign that targets a growing financial burden for the company: the treatment of thousands of children with autism across the country.

This company is the most disgusting of scum. It's truly hard to comprehend.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

MAGAs wank to eugenic based policies.

These people don't believe in the value of life. They believe in the value of money and envy.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 days ago

Well, Bobby Fuckeddy is going to kill vaccines, so no more autism, no?

[–] wjrii 30 points 5 days ago

While ABA is not without its criticisms, especially for cases where the kids are already better able to function day-to-day and ABA is used to strongly encourage masking (back in the day they'd literally just beat kids down with both carrot and stick to get them to pretend to be "normal"), getting severely affected kids to engage and talk is basically what it's best at, and yeah, you don't just get "better" from ASD.

Fucking horrific by UHC, as usual, and you know ABA is not the only care getting this kind of "analysis."

[–] [email protected] 17 points 4 days ago

Finally good reporting on this story. Thanks Pro Publica.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 5 days ago

I don’t think we deposed enough of them to count

[–] [email protected] 19 points 5 days ago

🤨

Ay yo where them board of directors at?

Need more Green Marios to attend board meetings.

[–] Makhno 10 points 5 days ago

Round 2, baby!

[–] jeffw 3 points 4 days ago

The thing about services for kids is that you have to give them literally everything. EPSDT requires it until the day they turn 21. Then they can get fucked like the rest of us.

[–] randon31415 3 points 4 days ago

A broken clock is right twice a day...