Autism Insurance Reform Legislation Signed into Law Jefferson City
Legislation that requires state-regulated group insurance policies to provide coverage for children with autism spectrum disorders was signed into law Thursday. House Bill 1311 & 1341 was sponsored by Rep. Dwight Scharnhorst, R-St. Louis County.
The legislation requires group insurance policies to provide coverage for applied behavioral analysis services (ABA) for autistic children age 18 and younger. The coverage will have an annual cap of $40,000 and will be adjusted at least once every three years for inflation.
The bill also establishes a state Behavior Analyst Advisory Board under the State Committee of Psychologists within the Division of Professional Registration. The new board will be charged with establishing and overseeing licensure and registration requirements for behavior analysts and assistant behavior analysts who provide therapies for children with autism spectrum disorders.
Other Legislation
Transitional Child Care Subsidy Bill (SB 71)
How is this related to autism?
Access to high-quality child care is an important issue for families who have children with autism. This bill would allow parents to increase their earnings without losing child care benefits. This is important for families with autism because of the increased out-of-pocket expenses they often have due to autism-related needs.
Information:
Sen. Jolie Justus (D-10) introduced SB 625 which would ameliorate the "cliff effect" for families receiving child care benefits. Currently, families lose all child care benefits if they exceed the current poverty income limit for subsidy eligibility in Missouri (127% FPL). This bill would allow individuals currently receiving child care subsidies to continue to receive assistance on a sliding scale until the person's income reached 45% above the annual appropriation level. Prior to July 2008, families who received child care assistance were not eligible for continued benefits when their income increased and became greater than the regular Child Care Assistance Income Eligibility. Currently, transitional child care (TCC) subsidy benefits are funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (economic stimulus funds). Federal funding expires in 2011. The proposed bill would mandate the current adopted regulation, subject to annual appropriation.
Transitional child care benefits do not apply to new applicants for child care subsidy. New applicants must first qualify under the income limits for the regular Child Care Assistance Program
Where can I read more about Missouri policies that affect families dealing with autism?
Throughout the legislative session, CMC tracks and monitors all bills pertaining to children. On the first day of the legislative session in January, 2010, CMC requested that funding for all children's programs be maintained at the current levels.
