About Us

Autism Health Insurance Project, Inc., is a California non profit public benefit corporation which, effective July, 2010, qualifies for tax exemption as a section 501 (c) (3) entity. Our goal is to be able to provide services to families at low or no cost in the future through volunteer efforts and donations from foundations and the public.

Background: Even before her son was diagnosed, Karen Fessel sought to get the most out of her health insurance benefits. Having a Doctorate in Public Health and having worked in a variety of health settings, including Kaiser, she felt that it was important for health insurance to provide medical care that individuals need.

When her son first came to medical attention, Karen was told to take him to the school district for further evaluation. Her son was offered a half hour a week of group speech therapy during his pre-school years. He did not qualify for regional center.

With only a vague diagnosis of expressive and receptive language delay, Karen turned to her health plan to supplement the school district’s meager offering and also to provide occupational and later group social skills therapies. Later, with the diagnosis of Asperger’s, Karen was able to secure regional center support, more extensive educational programs from the school district, and health insurance protection under AB 88, the California Mental Health Parity law.

Dr. Fessel was initially shocked at how her son’s delays were callously handled by the health plans which were supposed to be covering him. The health plans repeatedly lost documents, they would not respond to her questions, they had no qualified experts in their networks, and they didn’t want to help her son get the care that his doctors felt were medically necessary. The regulators were often unhelpful during those early years, as well. “The Health Plans would tell them blatant lies, and they would believe it without question. I remember thinking the regulators were either shockingly naïve or in cahoots.” There was nowhere to turn for help or information.

The Autism Health Insurance Project was founded to support families in their journey through the insurance maze, so that families can be treated fairly through this process, and that children can get the coverage for interventions that they so desperately need.

Board of Directors

		Karen Fessel, Dr PH Founder and Executive Director Karen is the proud parent of a 16-year-old son with Asperger's, and a 13 year-old daughter. She has a Doctorate in Public Health from UC Berkeley. She co-chairs the autism subcommittee on insurance with the East Bay Autism Regional Task Force and served as a parent advocate on the DMHC Autism Advisory Workgroup. Dr. Fessel is a board member of Through the Looking Glass, and a co-founder of the ASDinsurancehelp yahoo users group, a group for parents needing assistance with insurance issues. Relevant work experience includes working as a research specialist for the California Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology (CADDRE) and developing technology assessments and clinical practice guidelines for the Permanente Medical Group and the Permanente Federation. Dr. Fessel was initially shocked at how her son’s delays were callously handled by the health plans, which were supposed to be covering him. The health plans repeatedly lost documents, they would not respond to her questions, they had no qualified experts in their networks, and they didn’t want to help her son get the care that his doctors felt were medically necessary. The regulators were often unhelpful during those early years, as well. “The Health Plans would tell them blatant lies, and they would believe it without question. I remember thinking the regulators were either shockingly naïve or in cahoots.” There was nowhere to turn for help or information. Dr Fessel founded The Autism Health Insurance Project to support families in their journey through the insurance maze, so that they can be treated fairly through this process, and that children can get the coverage for interventions that they so desperately need.

		Karra Barber Director Karra is the author of Living Your Best Life with Asperger’s Syndrome. Her work has been regularly published in The Autism Perspective Magazine, the Autism Spectrum Quarterly magazine, Exceptional Parent magazine, Autism-Asperger’s Digest magazine, in addition to the San Francisco Chronicle. Karra has a BA in Health Education and is a full time mother and advocate for her now sixteen-year-old son who has Asperger’s Syndrome. She is the founder and facilitator of a well established Northern California parent support group where she coordinates monthly guest speakers who address topics relevant to those who have children on the autistic spectrum. Moreover, Karra educates and provides information to state legislators on behalf of those affected with an ASD. She has successfully organized a community ASD summer film camp, and an ASD golf clinic. In the last decade, she has attended numerous national autism and social skills training workshops, in addition to conferences focusing on educational strategies developed to cater to special needs children. To learn more about Karra and upcoming autism related events, visit her ASD resource web site at http://www.AspergersResource.org

		Feda Almaliti Outreach Director and Kaiser Specialist Feda is the proud mother of three beautiful boys and one of the leading experts on health insurance issues related to Autism in the state of California. She was instrumental in the recent passage of SB 946, a bill that will help thousands of families secure much needed and deserved services for their children. She successfully took on the largest health care provider in California, securing for her son over 30 hours of therapy per week. Having a child with ASD and successfully obtaining treatment for him gives her first-hand experience to the challenges faced by other parents in regards to the complexities of obtaining services through insurance. Feda was invited by Pro Tem of the California State Senate, Darrel Steinberg to speak at the inauguration of the Senate Select Committee on Autism. Currently she is the Insurance Sub-group Co-chair on BAART (Bay Area Autism Regional Task-force) and is also the founder of the Fremont SEPTA (special education PTA), the only one of its kind in Alameda County. She has testified on numerous commissions and boards, related to autism in California and is the founder of the Kaiser Spectrum Kids, as well as other users groups to assist parents with insurance issues. She and her son have also been featured in numerous news stories, most notably ABC and CBS news. And, in January, 2012 was named as a member to Advisory Commission on Special Education of the California Senate. Feda is dedicated to helping other parents because, "It is the parents who have helped and supported me in my journey through autism."

		Laura Levandowski Secretary Laura is the mother of a nine year old son diagnosed with autism at the age of three and a neurotypical daughter, age four. While she is now a stay at home mother and advocate, she previously worked in the field of telecommunications sales and training. She has a BA in psychology and a MA in clinical psychology. Laura co-leads a parent education, support and advocacy group for children with special needs and learning differences, serves on Senator Mark DeSaulnier's East Bay Autism Regional Task Force and is the Secretary of the Autism Health Insurance Project.

		Betsy Brazy Director Betsy advocates for special education services. She holds a J.D. and Public Interest Law certificate from Golden Gate University School of Law. She is awaiting results from the 2010 California Bar Ms. Brazy has clerked at Disability Rights California and Bay Area Legal Aid. She has a daughter with autism.

		Todd Goldman Chief Financial Officer Todd is a CPA with Rothstein Kass, a national accounting firm. Todd is a member of the Firm's Board of Directors. Todd is a graduate of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany and holds a B.S. degree in Accounting. He is on the executive board and is treasurer for the San Francisco chapter of Hedge Funds Care. Todd also serves as the treasurer for Congregation B'nai Tikvah in Walnut Creek. He is a co-founder of the Bay Area Hedge Fund Roundtable, an organization that promotes industry advocacy and career development for individuals involved with the alternative investment community. In addition, Todd is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and he served as a contributing author to the book titled, Hedge Funds: Definitive Strategies and Techniques published by Wiley Finance. Todd’s son Ryan has autism.

		Lisa Valerio, Autsim Insurance Consultant The proud mother of one son who has autism, Lisa has been successful in getting her son and many other children multiple services covered through medical insurance providers, including ABA, Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy services. She has collaborated and worked in partnership with other insurance advocacy providers and the community at large to help children get the services they need and deserve. Lisa has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and her 20+ year’s business experience has been in Advertising and Marketing with an emphasis in Operations, Systems Implementation and Project Management. She sets on the fundraising committees for Square Peg Foundation and Wings Learning Center and volunteers at Community Gate Path, providing support and resources to families with children with special needs.