Breaking Bad (news)

Have you heard about the Canadian version of Breaking Bad? It's about a high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with cancer. He gets free healthcare and gets better. There's no second season.

Ba-doom-ch!

(Mom:  Breaking Bad is a show about a guy who starts making an illegal drug to save his family from financial ruin.  Things go poorly.  You don't want to watch it.)

Here's the Salt Lake Tribune story about how this year's autism insurance mandate croaked yesterday.  Here's my favorite quote:

"After conferring with House and Senate leadership — I don’t have the support of the insurance industry, and I frankly don’t have the votes for the bill in its original form."

I think Senator Doctor Shiozawa is awesome.  He's intelligent and articulate and I hope he stays in politics for more than one term.  We don't really have a two party system in Utah, but elect more guys like him and it'll be okay.

A couple of things irk me about this.  The bill quietly transmogrified into more pilot program.  The pilot program can help some people, and I'm happy for the kids who get help (assuming it passes).  What irks me is that it happened without public debate.  I want to hear the arguments against it.  I want our elected officials to stand up and say why they won't pass this bill.  Maybe there are really good reasons.  I'd like to know them.

The other thing that irks me is highlighted in yellow above.  Why is the insurance industry's voice more powerful than doctors and people who need treatment?  If their arguments are that persuasive, why haven't we heard them?  Insurance coverage for autism is required in 32 states - has it bit into insurers' profits there?  How much?

Don't worry about us - we're going to get Ben what he needs.  Our family can summon the resources with or without insurance.  There are a lot of families who aren't so fortunate.  Maybe a little high school chemistry can help them...*

*Happy Trouble does not condone the manufacturing or selling of illicit goods or services.