A previous post discussed
Illinois legislation to prevent ASD people in Illinois from losing insurance coverage if they lose their diagnosis under
DSM-5.
The Elmhurst Patch reports:
Elmhurst Mayor Pete DiCianni was at the Thompson Center in Chicago Thursday, Aug. 16, to witness Gov. Pat Quinn sign Senate Bill 679. The new law ensures children diagnosed with autism will not lose their insurance coverage.
In its fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the American Psychiatric Association is proposing a more specific set of indicators for a diagnoses of autism. The reason for the change is to help ensure more targeted treatments, but the new definition threatened to take away coverage for some 20,000 children.
SB 679, a bipartisan effort, "grandfathers" those children in so their insurance coverage won't be cut off. It will ensure them continued coverage of up to $36,000 a year and unlimited doctor and and therapy visits.
