As of January 1, 2013, health insurance policies in the state of Alaska will be required to cover autism treatment. This is going to be a very “Happy New Year” for parents in Alaska who have children who require treatment for autism! There seems to be a trend going on where states are requiring this type of coverage.
This is going to be a better year for families in Alaska who have children who have an autism spectrum disorder. Governor Sean Parnell allowed a bill to become a law without his signature. That bill requires health insurance companies in the state to cover the cost of treatment for autism spectrum disorders.
Previously, a portion of the bill went into affect. It established a task force to study certain issues, including the issue of the state providing insurance coverage for autism treatment. It appears that the bill sparked a heated debate.
On one side of the issue, were parents of children who had autism (and people who supported them). They spoke about the financial strain placed upon families who have children who need autism treatment. When insurance doesn’t cover the treatment a child needs, it means that a family must come up with that extra money out of pocket. Many cannot afford the extra expense.
Treatment for autism can cost thousands of dollars. It can include speech therapy, occupational therapy, and Applied Behavior Analysis, (which is also called ABA therapy).
On the other side, were some insurance companies. They said it was unfair to put the burden of covering the cost of autism treatment on the private insurance companies alone.
In June, Governor Parnell sent a letter to legislative leaders that cited the benefits of early diagnosis of and early treatment for autism. The letter also said that the insurers didn’t provide detailed analyses for their assertions that premiums would increase by 3% in a year as a result of being required to cover autism treatment.
What types of health insurance plans now have to cover autism treatment? The law requires insurance companies to provide coverage in policies purchased on the private market by larger employers. In “plain English”, this probably means that the employer sponsored health plans that large companies offer to their workers will be required to cover autism treatment. However, the law exempted about 20,000 small businesses in Alaska from having to provide coverage for autism treatment.
Recently, Ohio required health insurance plans to cover autism treatment. Alaska’s law came shortly after Ohio’s. This could be the start of a trend that will help families of children who have autism.
Image by Richard Martin on Flickr