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Rick RemingtonCommunications Director – Government Relations

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An autism treatment worth fundingA California bill would require insurance companies tocover the cost of applied behavioral analysis for theautistic. It's good policy.September 30, 2011State law requires insurers to include coverage for autism incomprehensive healthcare policies. Now, lawmakers want to go a stepfurther, requiring coverage of a particular autism treatment: appliedbehavioral analysis. Insurers are resisting. They don't question theeffectiveness of the therapy; they just say it doesn't fit the definition of "medical" treatment. Their position reflects how crucial parts of thehealthcare system are wedded to the status quo, regardless of what'sbest for patients. State lawmakers have passed a bill to overcome theinsurers' resistance, and Gov. Jerry Brown should sign it

Health insurers want taxpayers to pick upthe tab for autism careBy Peter Bell | 10/06/11

There they go again. The health insurance industry has once again made clear its policy of sticking California taxpayers with the bill ofcaring for children with autism.

In an opinion piece published last week in Capitol Weekly, Patrick Johnston, the President and CEO of the California Association of Health Plans, argued that applied behavior analysis (ABA), anevidence-based therapy, should be administered by untrained public school teachers rather than trained medical professionals. What goes unmentioned is that, under this switcheroo, the cost would be absorbed in local school taxes rather than by private insurers.

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Federal Health Care• How will implementation of the 2010

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act impact autism benefits?

• What will be included in ‘essential health benefits’?

• What is the timeframe for implementation?

• How do we tailor state autism insurance reform bills to account for implementation of the new federal health care law?

Go Forth

Rick RemingtonCommunications Director,Government Affairs

rick.remington@autismspeaks.org1 East 33rd Street4th FloorNew York, NY 10016

646.367.5334www.autismvotes.org