cyberscan wrote:
Florida mandates coverage of autism related treatments in many cases. The response from the insurance companies is to refuse to insure autistic people. Big companies will almost always find a way around living up to their obligations.
I would consider that even more discriminatory than not covering autism treatments. I mean, not eveyr autistic is going to need or want expensive, intensive therapies, so it's unfair to refuse to insure all autistics because they might just claim huge amounts for therapy.
In the Netherlands, by the way, insurers cannot reject anyone for the so-called "basic package", which includes healthcare deemed necessary by the govt (including mental health services if you got a referral. They can reject peopel for additional insurance (eg. physical therapy, dnetal care for adults, soem forms of family planning, etc.), which are not thought to be necessary...of course it's a matter of perspective what is and isn't considered necessary. Long-terms upport is however covered under a different, public healthcare fund.
Anyway, I would rather have a petition against discrimination of autistics for insurance, than forcing insurance comps to pay for intensive ABA or the like and then having them discriminate all autistics.
01 Aug 2009, 2:24 am
