The Des Moines Register reports on Iowa's $5 million program to support ABA, which passed last year and is now going into effect.
Most private insurance plans are reluctant to cover the therapy, which can cost more then $30,000 per year. Iowa's Medicaid program has long covered it for disadvantaged children or those with severe intellectual disabilities. But until recently, the state offered no help for middle-class autistic children with average intelligence.
Legislators almost never earmark millions of dollars for a specific treatment for any illness or disorder. Rep. Dave Heaton, who spearheaded the proposal to make an exception, said the selling point was the prospect of helping autistic children get on track.
"If these kids don't move toward living somewhat normal lives, when they become adults, they'll be under state care for the rest of their lives, and that's very, very expensive," he said.
Heaton, a Mount Pleasant Republican who oversees spending on human-service programs, said legislators considered requiring private health-insurers to pay for the therapy, but determined it would be a tough sell. The prospect of adding a special Medicaid program to pay for a range of autism therapies seemed too expensive, Heaton said.
Legislators instead decided to pay directly for Applied Behavior Analysis. "Of all the things that are out there, this has been the most successful approach," he said.
