ABA and the Health Exchanges

Autism Speaks reports:

To date, Autism Speaks has identified 26 states and the District of Columbia that include applied behavior analysis in their benchmark plan. This means that insurers that offer new coverage to individuals and small businesses are expected to cover applied behavior analysis beginning in 2014. In addition to the District of Columbia, these states are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. ... 

Many of these states impose a dollar cap on the amount of applied behavior analysis that must be provided each year. Because the Affordable Care Act prohibits annual dollar limits on essential health benefits, insurers in these states can convert these limits into non-dollar limits (such as a cap on the number of sessions of applied behavior analysis each year).

Disability Scoop reports:

“The devil is in the details,” said Katie Keith, a former research professor at Georgetown University who’s now consulting with Autism Speaks through her role as director of research at the Washington lobbying firm Trimpa Group. “Every plan will say it covers behavioral health treatment but I would encourage families to make sure they know what that means because every state will be different.”