August8,2013 Autism: a neurological disorder that affects one in 110 children. The Center for Disease Control calls it "an urgent public health concern" but there is hope for these kids through what's called Applied Behavioral Analysis. It's not a quick fix, though, and insurance companies across the country are resisting plans to help affected families. The fight to get more kids who are diagnosed health benefits continues in WV and throughout the country.
Tina Hinebaugh is a Registered Nurse at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown. She has autistic twins. She was struggling to get her children the services they need when an act was passed through the states legislature to reform autism insurance (SB 218).
And I thought, Great! Ill get this paid for. And then Sharon Holbert told me that the hospital isnt covering it, Tina remembers. I thought, Thats insane, but when I called them I found out that there were exempt from this law. And even a year later when the cleanup bill passed and the law was more viable, theyre still exempt from it.
What was passed basically only applies to West Virginia public employees and businesses that have 25 or more employees, who qualify for insurance coverage, explains Jill Scarbro-McLaury, but not self-funded companies.
Scarbro-McLaury is the owner and director of Bright Futures Learning Services, a company that provides behavioral treatment programs for children and families with autism and related disorders. She was intensely involved in getting the autism legislation drafted and through the legislature.
Ultimately what we got passed only effects about 30 percent of our population. Medicaid is not covered, typically coal companies are not covered, most of our hospitals are not coveredso 70 percent of our kids affected with autism do not have coverage.
See the rest here:
Autism benefits: a tale of two hospitals