On Wednesday, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signed a bill that would require insurance policies issued in the state to provide coverage to children with autism.
House Bill 2962, proposed by Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City, dictates that insurance policies issued in the state cover for screening, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder for children younger than 9 years old, or for up to six years for children diagnosed after age 3. The bill states that the annual maximum benefit of such policies would be $25,000.
“I’m happy to have played a small part in helping these families access the vital autism therapies and treatments their children need, and I’m grateful to Gov. Mary Fallin for signing this life-changing law,” said Nelson.
The law is effective by Nov. 1, reported Tulsa World.
“The Oklahoma autism community is thrilled — parents and providers alike,” said Oklahomans for Autism Insurance Reform founder Tara Hood. “We have been waiting years and years for meaningful autism insurance reform to happen in Oklahoma, and we could not be more happy. When you get a child diagnosed with autism in Oklahoma, you only have few choices.”
Hood pointed out that many families were surprised to learn that insurance would not cover for evidence-based therapy for autism. She also noted that many of these families paid out of their own pockets for such treatments, and put themselves into debt as a result.
“Oklahoma is one of last seven (where) the evidence-based therapies that treat autism are denied by health insurance,” Hood explained, citing that 43 other states had passed similar reforms. “It normally takes a state legislature to stop it. Insurance companies are not going to add that coverage willingly.”
Thanks to the new law, insurance payments for the therapy can be discontinued if the treatments do not lead to any improvements. Also under the law, insurers can become exempt from the coverage requirement if it causes premiums to increase over 1%.
