Hawaii Autism News:
January 24 Update
Lorri Unumb to Address Hawaii Advocates on Autism Insurance Reform Feb. 7 at the Capitol
NEW YORK, NY -- Lorri Unumb, Autism Speaks Vice President of State Government Affairs, will present a talk entitled, "Autism Insurance Reform Across America and in Hawaii" at the State Capitol Auditorium on February 7 from 6 to 8 pm. Lorri will discuss legislation that has passed in 29 states, as well as legislation that is pending here in Hawaii, House Bill 821 and Senate Bill 744.
Lorri is a lawyer and the mother of three children – Ryan (10), who has autism; Christopher (7); and Jonathan (3). In 2005, she wrote ground-breaking autism insurance legislation for South Carolina (“Ryan’s Law”) that passed in 2007 and served as a catalyst for the national movement toward autism insurance reform. She has worked for Autism Speaks since 2008, and has been recognized with the Jefferson Award for Public Service; the Autism Society of America 2008 "Parents of the Year" award (with her husband Dan) and the Behavior Analyst Certification Board's Michael Hemingway Award. Lorri's work has been profiled on CNN, on NPR's "Morning Edition" and in Town & Country magazine from whom she received one of three 2009 "Women Who Make a Difference" awards.
Lorri will be here to educate and fire up our community to successfully pass autism insurance reform legislation THIS YEAR!! If you believe it's time to end medical insurance discrimination against children with autism,
please make your voice heard to your state senator and representative. All legislators and media have been invited, so to show your support please join us at the Capitol on February 7!
Autism Speaks Endorses Hawaii Autism Insurance Reform Bill
Senate Bill 744 Would End Health Care Discrimination Against Children with Autism by Requiring Coverage of Diagnosis and Treatment
NEW YORK, NY (February 3, 2011) – Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism advocacy organization, today announced its support for Senate Bill 744, the autism insurance reform bill. The legislation would require private health insurance companies to cover the diagnosis, testing, and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Sponsored in the Hawaii Senate by State Senators Will Espero (District 20) and Maile S. L. Shimabukuro (District 21), SB 744 includes coverage of behavioral health treatments, such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), an evidence-based, medically-necessary autism therapy, for individuals under the age of twenty-six. Coverage under SB 744 is subject to a annual maximum benefit of $50,000, but there is no limit on the number of visits to a service provider.
“We applaud and thank Senators Espero and Shimabukuro for their leadership on this issue of critical concern to thousands of Hawaii families,” said Peter Bell, Autism Speaks executive vice president for programs and services. “Autism Speaks joins Hawaii’s autism community in calling on the legislature to pass SB 744 and join the growing number of states that have ended healthcare discrimination against children with autism.”
Many states do not require private insurance companies to cover even essential autism treatments and services. In the absence of coverage, families often pay as much as they can out-of-pocket for services that can cost upwards of $50,000 per year. In the process, many risk their homes and the educations of their unaffected children – essentially mortgaging their entire futures.
To date, twenty-three states – 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 – have enacted autism insurance reform legislation. Several other state legislatures will introduce similar legislation during the current 2011 session.
Summary of 2011/12 Hawaii Autism Insurance Reform Bill:
Senate Bill 744 - Sponsored by Senators Will Espero (District 20) and Maile S. L. Shimabukuro (District 21)
House Bill 821 - Sponsored by Representative Chris Lee (District 51)
The bills would:
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Require health insurance companies to provide coverage of the screening, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders
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Require coverage for individuals with autism under 26 years of age
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Limit coverage for treatment to a maximum benefit of $50,000 per year
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Require that coverage not be subject to deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance that are less favorable than those that apply to physical illness generally under the health plan
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Direct that coverage of treatments be provided when prescribed, provided, or ordered for an individual diagnosed with autism by a licensed physician, psychologist, or registered nurse practitioner if the care is determined to be medically necessary
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Require health insurance companies to provide coverage of the following:
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Diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder - meaning medically necessary assessments, evaluations, or tests to diagnose whether an individual has an autism spectrum disorder
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Behavioral health treatment - meaning professional, counseling, and guidance services and treatment programs, including behavioral intervention therapy, applied behavioral analysis (ABA), that are necessary to develop, maintain, or restore, to the maximum extent practicable, the functioning of an individual
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Pharmacy care
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Psychiatric care
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Psychological care
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Therapeutic care - meaning services provided by licensed speech pathologists, registered occupational therapists, or licensed physical therapists
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Not affect any obligation to provide services to an individual under an individualized family service plan, an individualized education program (IEP), or an individualized services plan
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