Florida Seeks to Overturn Autism Ruling

MIAMI, Fla. -- Already facing sharp criticism over policies that have resulted in the rationing of care to severely disabled children, Florida healthcare regulators are challenging a federal judge's order that the state provide a costly -- but potentially life-changing -- treatment to children with autism.
Last spring, U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard struck down the state's refusal to pay for applied behavior analysis (ABA) for autistic children, calling the state's policy "arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable."

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2013/01/06/4341212/faced-with-a-judges-order-that.html#storylink=cpy

Federal Insurance Providers Not Required to Cover ABA Therapy for Families with Autistic Children

BALTIMORE -- Autistic children of federal workers in 22 states begin receiving insurance coverage this month for a key behavioral treatment, under a decision by the Office of Personnel Management.
Maryland, home to the third-largest population of federal workers in the nation, is not one of them.
"These families desperately need the best coverage for their kids," said Stuart Spielman, senior policy adviser and counsel for Autism Speaks. He said the advocacy group would petition the OPM to expand its coverage as quickly as possible.

Does Utah's Medicaid Autism Pilot Need Higher Standards?

Nicole VanBuskirk walks with her
6-year-old autistic son, Austin.

Carol Embry and her husband have full-time jobs with health insurance, but neither their salaries nor their policies cover the cost of the autism treatment their 5-year-old son needs.

They’ve tried other therapies. They’ve borrowed money and tapped into retirement funds.

N.J. Expands Coverage for Autism, Developmental Disability Therapies

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- New Jersey became the 15th state Thursay to enact a law requiring insurance companies to cover the screening and therapeutic treatment for children up to age 21 who are diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities.
The legislation overcame the opposition of business associations and insurance companies, who've predicted the measure will make health coverage unaffordable. Insurers have denied coverage for speech, occupational, physical and behavioral therapies because they deemed it "educational," not medical in nature, or because the therapy would not restore a child's ability to speak if the child never could speak at all.

Applied Behavior Analysis: Educational or Medical?

Thought I'd share an interesting blog item from Lisa Jo Rudy on About.com about applied behavior analysis. With states across the country trying to ensure that such treatments are covered by medical insurance, thought this was a rather timely item. (Lisa and I also realized earlier this year that we attended the same day camp as children - small world!)