Should insurance cover autism? | BabyCenter

The gorgeous kid in this picture is Peter Torres. In addition to a love of reading and a penchant for all things Super Mario, he has autism.

My daughter, Clara, who is friends with him, would temper this statement. ?Peter only has a little bit of autism,? she would say. But this isn?t true. Peter has quite a lot of autism, which means that even though he?s smart, caring, and funny, he struggles with emotional regulation, impulsiveness, communication, and social issues.

Peter is lucky enough to have received multiple therapies, which have made a huge difference for him, and which he still needs. But recently, he lost his Medicaid funding ? and his family can?t afford the therapies on their own.

Wait, you say. Why can?t they just pay for services through private insurance? After all, Peter does have a medical condition. The therapies are necessary for him. And this way, taxpayers don?t have to foot the bill.

I?ll tell you why. It?s because under North Carolina law, private insurance doesn?t have to cover services for autism. They can, but they don?t have to. Yep, that?s right.

A few days ago, Peter?s mom channeled her frustration into a poignant Open Letter to the North Carolina General Assembly, detailing her situation and asking the legislators to change this law.

As Debby writes, ?This is not an ethical question. It shouldn?t even be an economic question. We parents are willing to pay for private insurance for our children. Imagine the money this would save the Medicaid program, and put into the economy, with families not having to live in self-imposed poverty to get services for their children. Imagine 10 ? 15 ? 20 years from now when these children are living and working independently (or with minimal supports), contributing to society instead of draining resources and languishing in hospitals that offer little quality of life. All because insurance companies were required to offer them the same standard of care they offer any other individual with a developmental disability.?

Within about 48 hours, Debby?s letter had received more than two thousand hits ? and they?re still pouring in. I think that means the post ?went viral,? right? Read the letter, and you?ll see why.

As for me, I agree with Debby that this law is needed, and not just because she?s my friend. But because, as my kids would say, ?That?s what?s fair.? Yes, I understand that autism is expensive. But so is cancer. So is appendicitis. So is vision loss. That?s what insurance is for.

So that?s what I think ? but what do you think? Should lawmakers get to tell insurance companies what they have to cover? And should autism be included?

Source: http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/should-private-insurance-cover-autism/

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