Alaska

Alaska Autism News:

Autism Speaks Endorses Alaska Autism Insurance Reform Bill

House Bill 79 Would End Health Care Discrimination Against Children with Autism by Requiring Coverage of Diagnosis and Treatment

NEW YORK, NY (January 27, 2011) – Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism advocacy organization, today announced its support for House Bill 79, 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 Alaska State House by State Representative Pete Petersen, HB 79 includes coverage of behavioral health treatments, such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), an evidence-based, medically-necessary autism therapy, for individuals with autism under the age of 21. HB 79 has been referred to the House Health & Social Services Committee, which may hear the bill next month.

“We applaud and thank Representative Petersen for his leadership again this year on this issue of critical concern to thousands of Alaska’s families,” said Peter Bell, Autism Speaks executive vice president for programs and services. “Autism Speaks joins Alaska’s autism community in calling on the legislature to pass HB 79 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.

Treating Autism Early Will Save Us Special Ed Funds Later - An Op-Ed by Alaska State Representative Pete Peterson

(April 9, 2010 - Anchorage Daily News) -- "April is Autism Awareness Month, and this year the Legislature has the chance to meaningfully support autistic children and their families. There are many hardships and burdens faced by the parents of autistic children, and a simple fix will help alleviate the financial burden on autistic families"... Read more

Autism Speaks Endorses Alaska Autism Insurance Reform Bill (March 19, 2009)

Summary of Autism Insurance Reform Bill:

House Bill 79 - Sponsored by State Representative Pete Petersen (District 19)

Senate Bill 74 - Sponsored by State Senator Johnny Ellis (District L)

The bills would:

• Require private health insurance companies to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder
  
  
• Direct that a health care plan may not terminate coverage, or refuse to deliver, execute, issue, amend, adjust, or renew coverage to an enrollee solely because the individual is diagnosed with, or has received treatment for, an autism spectrum disorder
  
  
• Require that coverage be provided only to individuals under 21 years of age
  
  
• Impose no cap on the number of visits to a covered service provider
  
  
• Impose no annual benefit dollar limit
  
  
• Require that coverage not be subject to lifetime maximums, deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance or other terms and conditions that are less favorable than those that apply to physical illness generally under the health plan
  
  
• Direct that coverage of treatments be provided  when prescribed, provided, or ordered for an individual diagnosed with autism by a licensed physician or a licensed psychologist who determines the care to be medically necessary
  
  
• Include coverage of the following treatments:
  • Diagnosis
  • Habilitative or rehabilitative care - meaning professional counseling, guidance services, and treatment programs, including applied behavioral analysis (ABA) or other structured behavioral therapies necessary to develop, maintain, or restore, to the maximum extent practicable, the functioning of an individual
  • Pharmacy care
  • Psychiatric care
  • Psychological care
  • Therapeutic care - meaning services provided by or under the supervision of a licensed speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, or physical therapist
    
    
• 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
  
  
• Apply only to state-regulated insurance plans; they do not apply to self-funded insurance plans which are regulated by the federal government under ERISA law
  
  
• Take effect immediately upon enactment and apply to health insurance policies that are offered, issued for delivery, delivered, or renewed on or after January 1, 2012