NEWS: Missouri: [House Speaker] Richard promises autism insurance bill for next year

"...Parents of children with autism say a year's delay can make a lifetime's difference.

"The earlier you intervene with these children, the fewer services they need," said state Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-15th District. "Their brains are developing and we can make critical progress. Every year this bill does not pass, we miss an opportunity to positively affect these kids...."

and

"...[MO Sen. Scott Rupp, R-2nd District] said other states have passed similar legislation. In those cases, insurance costs have increased less than 1 percent.

"With parents going bankrupt to give their kids therapy, an increase of less than 1 percent is not a big deal compared to what we could provide with this coverage," Rupp said..."

-----------

JEFFERSON CITY | After catching flak for House inaction on a bill requiring insurance companies to cover autism, House Speaker Ron Richard promised Wednesday to bring all the sides together this summer and file a bill next winter.

"I have instructed several of my chairman to work to compose a plan that will bring insurance companies and autism advocacy groups together for a compromised solution to this very real problem," Richard, a Joplin Republican, said in a statement.

He also said: "Missourians can expect a solid health-care plan, covering autism patients and uninsurable Missourians, mid-summer and expect a bill to be filed in December and taken up on the floor in the coming Legislative Session."

The comments come a day after two Republican senators decried in a St. Louis Suburban Journals article the House's refusal to take up an insurance-coverage bill before the legislative session ended May 15.

One of the senators, Scott Rupp, of Wentzville, blamed "House leadership" for the bill's failure.

FULL STORY

-----------
Website: Practitioner Issues in Behavior Analysis SIG
-----------
Views and news expressed in this blog or by the PIBA SIG are those of the SIG and SIG members and do not represent official policy of ABA International or other official body. For official policy of the Association of Behavior Analysis International, the reader is directed to their website,