On Sunday, Governor Brown approved SB 946, a measure that will require health plans to include coverage for autism as a medical benefit. Passage of the bill makes California the 28th state to take steps to end autism insurance discrimination.
Insurers will be required to cover the treatments only until the federal healthcare law signed by President Obama is implemented. If the federal government does not provide coverage for the treatments outlined in the bill by July 2014, the state autism-coverage mandate will expire.
Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), the author of the bill, was quoted in the Los Angeles Times when he hailed Brown’s signature as "a critical victory for thousands of California children and families. For many of them, having this therapy covered by their insurance is the difference between despair and hope."
There are still many particulars regarding cost, effectiveness and the reach of the new provisions to work out. For instance, the mandate does not apply to Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program, or Healthy Families, California's Children's Health Insurance Program, and so there are questions about its protections for children without private insurance.
Overall, however, it is considered a step forward in addressing the many health and financial concerns facing families affected by autism.
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For more information on the new legislation, read:
Questions About Costs, Duration of New Autism Mandate Persist in Calif.
Autism: Law make insurers cover therapy - for now in the SF Chronicle
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