Can DX be used against me?

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In many states including where I live, there's a parity law that requires insurance companies to cover someone if they have a condition, but were previously covered. If you already have insurance, they can't deny you coverage legally, but if you're uninsured, it's practically impossible to get any if you have any condition, including an official AS diagnosis.

One option is to apply for SSI just for the insurance, which is what I'm doing. I'm in the process of appealing the denial of that, which happens to the vast majoriy of applicants. I'm more interested in this for the medical insurance as a backup to what I've got now than the income because I'm capable of working.

Yes, well in my profession you have to realistically look at private insurance at some point because you may need to contract with a company.. That's a pretty typical eventuality for many Technology people. Like I said, I'm not messing with that. As to SSI for the insurance, SSI is for disability and as long as I'm employed, even as a contractor, that is not an option.

I would have to agree with this.I cant afford insurance unless I am working and wont take a job that doesn't offer medical insurence.I have had no problem with work insurance or even death benefits, inspite of the fact that I am a very poor risk...Have a history of self-injury and suicide attempts,CD treatment,meds for depression.My past company even paid for the AS DX and I didnt lose my job working with DD clients after getting positive DX....my managers weren't even aware of the DX.

I dont qualify for medical at my new job for two months but will let you know if they give me any problems because of my new DX....this will be the first job I have had since getting the DX.The irony? in discrimination due to AS DX,is that I am probably more healthy then many of my co-workers because I lead such a "safe" like(no drug use,no party hang-overs and missed work,no casual sex).....AS should actually be considered a safer life style then most NT behavior.(certainly safer then my tens and twenties when I was trying so hard to be NT and failing so miserably).

We aspies need to come together and unite and fight this crap. This is a clear civil rights violation.

Time for people whining online is over, we need to get our hands dirty and fight back for our equality. Even if aspies don't like crowded places, we need to protest and take a stand for what's right. If we don't, nobody will. This is OUR struggle.

Having a medical diagnosis can reduce insurance coverage. I know of situations where kids went in for diagnostic appointments which were fully covered as were followup visits. After the insurance company requested copies of the records and diagnosis the same appointments with the same doctor were then covered at 50% because they were now considered "mental health" instead of "developmental".

I've been on them before and have never had trouble getting insured through my job.

That's true of most insurance regardless of where you get it. This is neurological condition, but because Psychiatry has owned it for years, insurance companies view it as a "mental" condition and cover it as such. That's actually the biggest fight we should make. Some of the co-morbid conditions might be "mental health" conditions, but things like AS itself or Echolalia and Hyperlexia are not. It's not at all to our benefit to have it under Psychiatry's domain. They only make money if you have co-morbid conditions.

By the way, tell them to watch their coding when they submit the bill. If the desk staff doesn't know what they are doing, things like this happen. If you get a good person in the front handling it, they can get most things paid for correctly.

Very interesting thread...

I'm pretty new here, and am self-diagnosed; I only found out about Asperger's a couple of months ago. I have been seriously considering getting an official dx... I have enough other stuff on my record, anyway; I'd prefer Asperger's to Clinical Depression and Anxiety/Panic disorder, among other things!! ! I also have another condition that leads to this same insurance crap as well... many people with it also avoid getting an official dx as many don't get any coverage at all!! ! It is grossly unfair, and needs to stop!

This may be slightly off-topic - forgive me! - but what I'd like to ask those of you who are self-diagnosed and have NT partners/spouses; how did you broach that topic to them? I know that many people don't accept or believe things unless there is some "official" stamp of "approval" on it. I have no problem accepting it myself; its mainly my mother ( who I highly suspect may have it herself and have never had a relationship with!) that I find myself thinking about sometimes

I have the "official stamp" and my mother and boyfriend still dont believe it or seem to be interested in learning about it,for that matter.But it's the people with AS who are totally self-consumed and uninterested in others(yeah,right).

Doesn't it bother you that your boyfriend doesn't want to learn about it?

Part of me thinks that it won't make a bit of difference with my mother, either. This is all still new to me; I'm sure that as I learn more and become more accepting of who I am, I really won't care as much what people (may or may not) think...

They're probably afraid.

Sakhmet,

I've been married a long time to my NT husband. He never thought I was "normal" and he always accepted I was different. He never thought I was making it up or anything like that. Whatever comes up due to this, we've already worked through long ago and we're fine. I think maybe it's just our personality mix that works, to be honest. He's pretty calm and rational, so he doesn't approach my difference from an emotional (hurt feelings) standpoint and that is key, I believe. He has always believed we would figure it out and find a way to deal with it. So for me, it's a bit different. He's basically told me not to pursue it because of concerns like my work and insurance. His feeling is that we're fine and my work is fine, so why rock the boat? Besides, his feeling is very strong that any Psych person is just going to go looking for problems and try to create them so they have something to earn a fee to "solve." He feels very strongly that they know nothing about AS/NT getting along compared to the two of us who have had to deal with it and find our own way all these years. So, I'm not sure that helps you any. I think our situation is probably different.

As to your mother, my mother would be hopeless to explain it to. I wouldn't even try to go there with her and we don't live close enough together for it to matter. My brothers are kind of like my husband. They've already accepted me the way I am.

Zanne

It does bother me a little,the same that any sign of lack of curiosity bothers me.When I learned he had MS,I read up on it so I could understand him.He has read a little about it,looked at the site but just has no interest.The irony is that he has so many AS traits himself but some of them could be due to his MS(the cognitive stuff)He claims he is social but he only has one male friend that he grew up with and he sees him or talks on the phone, once every couple months.He use to have a lot of pen pals and belongs to an on line forum,but that is the extent of his "social life".Whatever,we get along great,and he never tries to change me.My mom is a lost cause.The only reason I told her was I thought it would relieve some of her own feelings of frustration from raising me(and kicking me out at 16).I thought it might help her understand that I was not trying to be difficult and many parents with As kids have a tough time.She is a Christian Scientist,though,she just refuses to believe in any "illness" and doesnt seem to understand that As is not an illness but just wiring difference.I am afraid the whole concept is beyond her.She has never shown any intellectual curiosity about anything beyond bridge and her religion.

It sucks that he won't make the effort to gain the same level of understanding about your condition as you did about his, but its good that at least he accepts you for who you are. I really don't know what my mother would think, and I don't know if I should care. I just talked to someone about setting up an evaluation appointment and I know that it's "easier" if they could talk to your parent(s)...puh-LEEZE! I told him that was not likely to happen, and he laughed; a dx might take longer, then. I don't care! But why does it cost to much to see a specialist???

I'm still leaning towards it, but... humnnn...

P.S. My mother's monster - ummnnn, "mother" - kicked her out when she hit puberty... and abused her and her many siblings like there was no tomorrow...