[Note: Shared for #AutisticHistory archive purposes. This is NOT An Autistic Ally.]
Kansas City Star: Kansas Legislature Can Learn From Missouri’s Experience
February 06, 2012
KANSAS CITY, MO (February 6, 2012) — The Kansas City Star in an editorial, ‘One step forward,’ said the Kansas legislature could learn from Missouri’s experience in considering an expansion of autism insurance benefits. The editorial was referring to a new study by the Missouri Department of Insurance that found its autism insurance reform initiative had made coverage available to 1.3 million state residents while impacting premiums by 0.1 percent, a fraction of the impact that insurance industry lobbyists had claimed.
Februray 2, 2012
News Releases
February 1, 2012
Department of Insurance report shows more than 1.3 million Missourians covered by new autism law
Total claims less than 1 percent of health care costs
Jefferson City, Mo. – Nearly 4,000 Missourians received insurance coverage for treatment for autism in 2011, according to a new report from the Missouri Department of Insurance. A new law, signed by Gov. Nixon, requiring health insurance companies to cover specific autism treatments took effect Jan. 1, 2011. The department’s report, released today, says 3,805 Missourians filed claims for autism-related treatment during the law’s first year.
Using data supplied by health insurance companies, the report says total insurance claims for autism-related treatments were $4.3 million in 2011. That figure accounts for 0.1 percent of total claims paid by health insurers during the year.
“This report shows good news on two fronts,” said John M. Huff, director of the Department of Insurance. “First, it shows that the new law has already helped thousands of Missourians. Second, it shows the autism mandate should have minimal impact on health care costs and insurance premiums.”
While the claims data suggest minimal impact on premiums, Missouri law does not require health insurance companies to submit their rates to the Department of Insurance.
Other noteworthy findings of the department’s report:
1.3 million Missourians are covered by a health plan that must offer coverage for autism therapy, specifically applied behavior analysis.
All policyholders in the large- and small-group markets now have insurance coverage for autism treatments.
Only one-third of policyholders in the individual market have coverage. The law allows insurers in the individual market to offer autism coverage as an extra, with an added cost.
Nearly 150 licenses have been issued for behavior analysts and assistant behavior analysts, who are required to be licensed under the new law.
The average monthly cost of treatment for individuals diagnosed with autism was $143 in 2011.
Benefits to increase in 2012
The law requires health insurance companies to cover $40,000 for autism treatment, to be adjusted yearly by the director of the Department of Insurance using the Consumer Price Index. Director Huff
souri
a
on Jan. 31 signed an order increasing the maximum benefit to $41,263 for 2012.
The Department of Insurance has extensive resources for families and health care providers on its website. Consumers and providers with complaints or questions can call the department’s Insurance Consumer Hotline at 800-726-7390 or file a complaint at insurance.mo.gov.
About the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions & Professional Registration
The Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration (DIFP) is responsible for consumer protection through the regulation of financial industries and professionals. The department’s seven divisions work to enforce state regulations both efficiently and effectively while encouraging a competitive environment for industries and professions to ensure consumers have access to quality products.
#
DIFP Divisions
Insurance
Finance
Credit Unions Professional Registration
Media Contact
E-mail: news@difp.mo.gov Phone: (573) 751-2562 Fax: (573) 751-1165
The Autism Community Is Not The Autistic Community
Note/Warning:
Autistic people have fought the inclusion of ABA in therapy for us since before Autism Speaks, and other non-Autistic-led autism organizations, started lobbying legislation to get it covered by insurances and Medicaid.
ABA is a myth originally sold to parents that it would keep their Autistic child out of an institution. Today, parents are told that with early intervention therapy their child will either be less Autistic or no longer Autistic by elementary school, and can be mainstreamed in typical education classes. ABA is very expensive to pay out of pocket. Essentially, Autism Speaks has justified the big price tag up front will offset the overall burden on resources for an Autistic’s lifetime. The recommendation for this therapy is 40 hours a week for children and toddlers.
The original study that showed the success rate of ABA to be at 50% has never been replicated. In fact, the study of ABA by United States Department of Defense was denounced as a failure. Not just once, but multiple times. Simply stated: ABA doesn’t work. In study after repeated study: ABA (conversion therapy) doesn’t work.
What more recent studies do show: Autistics who experienced ABA therapy are at high risk to develop PTSD and other lifelong trauma-related conditions. Historically, the autism organizations promoting ABA as a cure or solution have silenced Autistic advocates’ opposition. ABA is also known as gay conversion therapy.
The ‘cure’ for Autistics not born yet is the prevention of birth.
The ‘cure’ is a choice to terminate a pregnancy based on ‘autism risk.’ The cure is abortion. This is the same ‘cure’ society has for Down Syndrome.
This is eugenics 2021. Instead of killing Autistics and disabled children in gas chambers or ‘mercy killings’ like in Aktion T4, it’ll happen at the doctor’s office, quietly, one Autistic baby at a time. Different approaches yes, but still eugenics and the extinction of an entire minority group of people.
Fact: You can’t cure Autistics from being Autistic.
Fact: You can’t recover an Autistic from being Autistic.
Fact: You can groom an Autistic to mask and hide their traits. Somewhat. … however, this comes at the expense of the Autistic child, promotes Autistic Burnout (this should not be confused with typical burnout, Autistic Burnout can kill Autistics), and places the Autistic child at high risk for PTSD and other lifelong trauma-related conditions.
[Note: Autism is NOT a disease, but a neurodevelopmental difference and disability.]
Fact: Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism.
International Badass Activists 
You must be logged in to post a comment.