Insurance coverage for autism passes Senate committee

Post Reply New Topic

HELENA - A bill asking that the State of Montana require insurance companies to cover autism treatments has made it out of a Senate committee in Helena.

Senate Bill 234, otherwise known as 'Brandon's Bill,' passed out of the Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee on a 6-5 vote on Monday.

Sponsored by Sen. Kim Gillan, D-Billings, SB 234 asks insurance companies to provide up to $50,000 a year for costs related to treatment of autism for children up to age eight and up to $20,000 a year for children nine years of age through age 18.

While the current statute requires coverage of mental illnesses, insurance companies often have been able to turn down treatments for autism - the most frequently prescribed being Applied Behavior Analysis therapy - on the basis that they are considered educational.

Proponents of the bill argued that ABA and other therapies are in fact medically based treatments and that there are huge amounts of evidence backing up that claim.

Insurance companies testified against the bill claiming that it would cause rates to go up for all customers, but proponents cited studies proving that any increased costs related to covering autism treatments are marginal.

SB 234 is expected on the floor for second reading this week.

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2009 ... s/br74.txt

There will be a very simple way around that. Insurance companies will likely refuse to offer coverage for autistic people (unless coverage is mandated).

OK, I will bit.

Yes, rates may go up for everyone if this bill passed BUT if we do not offer the treatments when the person is young and pay for it, the bill for everyone will be much higher because the time to attack is lost.

Again, this is more thinking about today and who cares about tomorrow when I do not have to deal with it anymore.