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Should Autism Therapies Be Covered By Health Insurance?
By Richard | May 14, 2007
I know that my family has had its issues with autism-related therapies and insurance coverage. I recently e-mailed (twice each actually) Steny Hoyer, Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin Cardin seeking information about any pending Maryland legislation similar to that being undertaken in other states hoping to require insurance coverage for certain autism therapies.
I’m still waiting for their responses.
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Insurance Coverage for Autism: What’s Your Take?
Lisa Jo Rudy | About.com
Several states, including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Oregon, are moving toward the introduction of legislation which would require insurance companies to cover some treatments for autism spectrum disorders. These states are not alone: Microsoft is also providing coverage for up to 80% of intensive behavioral therapy for autism.
The up side of this movement is, of course, that families with children on the autism spectrum will have at least some financial recourse as they take on the very high costs of autism treatment. And that’s a huge benefit.
The down sides, however, seem a little more complex. For example, the price of insurance coverage is likely to rise overall as treatments for autism are added to the required options. With the cost of insurance at an all-time high, that’s bound to be an issue for many families.
In addition, only a very few treatments for autism will be included in the list, meaning that parents may be forced into behavioral (ABA) therapies as opposed to developmental or biomedical options. The reasons for this are frustratingly clear: only very few treatments for autism have been rigorously tested and “proved” effective according to the standards of the CDC. Behavioral therapies are older, relatively easy to test, and while there is controversy over their appropriateness and efficacy, they are in fact the treatment most often recommended by medical professionals.
In our case, insurance covering ABA would have been irrelevant, as it wouldn’t have covered most of our therapies of choice. As a result, we’d wind up paying higher insurance bills - while also footing additional bills for therapies NOT covered by insurance. Of course, we’d have the option of choosing different therapies based on insurance coverage, but it’s frustrating to think that promising strategies for treating autism could be pushed to the sidelines based on funds available from insurance companies!
So…what’s your take on new insurance coverage for autism? Are you pleased to see any movement forward? Frustrated by the limits of what insurance is likely to provide? Would you change your ideas about which therapies to try based on your insurance company’s list of options?
Topics: In The News, Insurance, Therapies |