When Zachary Berge was diagnosed with autism shortly after his second birthday, he couldn't speak a word. He often threw tantrums because he couldn't express himself.
His parents turned to "applied behavioral analysis," widely known as ABA therapy and recognized by the medical community as one of the most effective autism treatments for children.
But ABA therapy doesn't come cheap, and it has cost the Berge family of Crestview, Fla., nearly $56,000 — a hefty bill they've had to pay out of pocket because the treatment isn't covered by the family's health plan, a program for active and retired military families known as Tricare.
A supplemental benefits program available under Tricare offers families of active-duty members as much as $36,000 a year each to cover the cost of the therapy and other autism treatments. But the Berges are not eligible for that program because Zach's father, Kenneth Berge, retired from the Air Force in 2006.
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