Tagged: autism

With Gov. Rick Snyder out of the country, Michigan's Lt. Gov. signed a bill he had a strong hand in pushing through the Legislature.

The Michigan Public Radio Network's Rick Pluta reports on today's signing of the autism coverage bill:

To the applause of families with autistic children, Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley  has signed legislation that requires insurance companies to cover childhood autism treatments.

The new law, which will go into effect on October 1, requires insurance companies to pay for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis and treatment for children up to age 18.

This week we’ve been talking about autism, what we know about it, and how autism coverage is changing in Michigan.

Twenty-two-year-old twin sisters Michelle and Nicole Bouchard both have Asperger’s syndrome. It’s commonly thought to be at the milder end of the autism spectrum.  

Michelle says school wasn't easy. "There was a list of things they told me I couldn't do. I couldn't go to college, I couldn't find a job...it was a big struggle for me," she says.

Nicole's experience in school was a bit different. "I tested a little bit higher than Michelle did and I was put in mainstream classes, but pulled out."

In high school they had to become strong self-advocates so they could get the specialized help they needed.

The Michigan Legislature passed a series of autism coverage bills that have been sent to Governor Snyder for his approval.

Lt. Governor Brian Calley was been a central advocate of the bills. He also has a 5-year-old daughter with autism.

The bills would change Michigan insurance code, which would require that certain evidence-based therapies be covered, up to certain limits.

“Today all insurance policies deny coverage for autism. Even those insurance policies that cover mental health therapy generally still exclude or bar treatment for autism. And they do so based on old, outdated, and discredited views that you can’t help kids with autism,” says Calley.

This week we’ll be taking a closer look at autism.

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control found that about 1 in 88 children are diagnosed with autism or a related disorder – a significant increase in diagnosis.

Dr. Richard Solomon is a Medical Director of the P.L.A.Y Project at The Ann Arbor Center of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

Dr. Solomon says there are three factors to consider when defining autism, "One, you have a delay in language. Two, these are children that don't interact very well, they tend to want to be by themselves. And three, when they are by themselves they tend to have a lot of repetitive stereotyped behaviors that absorb them and take them out of social circulation."

Yesterday, the Michigan Legislature passed a series of autism coverage bills that will go to Governor Snyder.

It was one of the first significant pieces of legislation to move through the legislature with broad bi-partisan support.

The bill requires insurance companies to pay for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis and treatment for children up to age 18.

Under the bill, insurance companies regulated by the state will have to cover expenses for ASD therapy and diagnosis...

• of up to $50,000 a year for kids younger than 7,
• $40,000 a year for kids ages 7-13,
• and $30,000 for kids up to age 18.

Questions about funding

The law will go into effect on October 1, but some questions have been raised about part of the funding for the mandated coverage.