Push for Iowa Insurance Mandate
Iowans supporting insurance coverage for autism met at the capital Thursday, including a delegation from Siouxland.
Blue T-shirts and puzzle pieces were set up in the Capitol rotunda to catch the eye of lawmakers.
A bill introduced by Republican Rep. Ron Jorgensen of Sioux City would require insurance companies to cover autism treatment.
As it stands now, often that treatment isn't covered - even for doctor recommended care.
Autism advocate Josh Cobbs from Sioux City says, "A lot of our families do have to relocate at times or they go without services. So that's a pretty desperate place to be in.As well as all of our surrounding states and 42 other states in the country have passed similar legislation. So really Iowa is a little bit behind the curve when it comes to serving this type of population."
Cobbs is the father of a 15-year-old boy with autism. He's been working on this bill for 10 years and hopes this could be the year it actually gets passed.
The group "Autism Speaks" is asking Iowans to sign an online pledge to support autism insurance reform and to contact their lawmakers to suppose the initiative. You can view that online through this link.
