Virginia joins the growing list of States that are requiring insurance companies to cover the cost of autism treatment. This is not a separate insurance policy, but rather, an addition to existing health insurance policies. Laws like this one will be a big financial help to parents of children who have autism.
Parents who have a child that has been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum can find it difficult to come up with the money that is needed in order to pay for treatment. In most cases, this is due to the fact that a lot of insurance companies created health insurance policies that did not include coverage for the type of treatment that a person with autism would require. In many cases, it can be very difficult to get an insurance company to cover the cost of treatment for anything that they consider to be a mental disorder or condition.
Kids who have autism require a lot of specialized types of therapy. Behavioral training and management focuses on using positive reinforcement, the improvement of social skills, and the encouragement of self assisting behaviors in order to help a child who has autism to be better able to communicate with other people. Many children who are on the autism spectrum also require speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy as well.
There are medicines that can be used to ease the symptoms of anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, and hyperactivity that an autistic child might suffer from. Parents often require some specific training that will help them to gain a better understanding of what autism is, and how they can help their child. All of this costs money. Many families are going into severe financial distress in order to pay for the treatment that their autistic family member needs to have.
Recently, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell signed the autism insurance bill for the State of Virginia. This means that legislation will be enacted that requires health insurance companies to cover at least some treatments for autism for children ages two through six. The State law will cap coverage at $35,000. This is a good start towards helping families who cannot afford to pay for the treatment that their child requires.
This means that Virginia has become one of many States that are requiring insurance companies to provide coverage for the treatment of autism. Other States include: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Some other States are requiring limited coverage for the treatment of autism under laws about mental health coverage.
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