The Politics of Autism includes an extensive discussion of insurance.
Autism advocates say they will push for expansion next year on Georgia’s recent mandate to guarantee insurance coverage of children 6 and under, including a call to raise or remove the age cap.
Anna Bullard, whose now-12-year-old daughter, Ava, inspired what is informally known as Ava’s Law, said this week that she and other supporters have been encouraged by lower-than-expected costs for coverage offered through the state health benefits plan. And since the state plan has a slightly higher cap and includes kids through age 10, they believe they can make a similar argument for coverage from private insurers.
They are also pushing state officials to include coverage under Medicaid.
“The benefit for a child to continue to receive benefits far outweighs the pennies that it costs a company to keep moving forward,” said Bullard. “We can’t just settle and say getting services through age 6 is enough.”
