More on the New York Rule

The Age of Autism has an action alert on a New York rule that would effectively gut the state's insurance mandate:

Just weeks before the New York autism insurance reform bill went into effect on January 1 the Cuomo administration issued an erroneous interpretation of the law that guts the only real step forward for families dealing with autism.

Governor Cuomo’s Department of Finance has issued an “emergency” rule finding that will not recognize the credentials of Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) for insurance billing purposes, so unless your behavior analyst also has a New York license as a physician, psychologist or other licensed professional they will not be allowed to bill insurance companies. This interpretation reflects neither the letter nor intent of the law Governor Cuomo signed with much media attention and fanfare at the end of 2011.

Thousands of students in New York schools receive ABA as required in their IEPs provided by BCBAs, and those BCBAs are paid with tax dollars. Yet when it comes to insurance company dollars all of a sudden BCBAs aren’t properly credentialed. This is rank toadying to the insurance companies.

New Yorks, and New Yorkers only please, click on the T alert to send an email to the Governor and ask him to stop delaying therapy for some of New York’s most vulnerable students.

And please call the Governors office and politely ask the staffer to tell the Governor to do the right thing and provide ABA for New York’s students with autism.

Please share this email with friends and family and please post to Facebook and other social networks.

Governor Cuomo will probably run for president. He will have a hard time if the disability community sees him as an opponent.