The Politics of Autism includes an extensive discussion of insurance legislation in the states.
A bill requiring insurance companies to cover the treatment of autistic children is headed to the Senate floor.
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday passed House Bill 2962, by Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City, and Sen. A.J. Griffin, R-Guthrie.
The vote was 36-3. Voting against the measure were Sens. Bill Brown, R-Broken Arrow, Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, and Anthony Sykes, R-Moore.
The measure requires coverage for the screening, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder in individuals younger than 9 years old.
If the person is not diagnosed or treated until after the age of 3, coverage shall be provided for at least six years, provided that the child shows sufficient progress and improvement determined by the health-care provider, according to the measure.
“No insurer shall terminate coverage or refuse to deliver, execute, issue, amend, adjust or renew coverage to an individual solely because the individual is diagnosed with or has received treatment for an autism spectrum disorder,” according to the measure.
The bill would limit coverage for applied behavior analysis to 25 hours per week and no more than $25,000 a year.
