LANSING, MI Bills mandating state insurers cover autism treatment and diagnosis are headed to Gov. Rick Snyder after clearing the state House on Thursday with broad bipartisan support.
It feels wonderful, said Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, who has a daughter with autism and has been a high-profile backer of the bills. I would place this far and away the most important public policy initiative that Ive ever worked on and I doubt anything will ever top it.
The bills -- SB 414, 415 and 981 --would require insurers to provide coverage of autism diagnosis and treatment, while directing the state Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Department to create an autism coverage incentive program through which insurance carriers and third-party administrators could seek reimbursement for paid claims.
The House version included an amendment preventing insurance companies from raising rates and still receives reimbursements for covering autism treatments.
The state Senate, which had approved the bills earlier this month, quickly signed off on the House changes, sending the package to Snyder. The governor called for the coverage in his State of the State address and is expected to sign the package.
The coverage is estimated to cost about $15 million a year at first, and Calley estimated the figure could climb to $40 million in five years. But he believes it is money well spent. Two bills were approved 91-19, and the third with support from five fewer representatives.
He said parents struggle to find help in Michigan, and that few providers are willing to work in the state because the condition isnt covered. After signed into law, expects providers to set up shop.
What this means to me today is that regular people in the state of Michigan who are not the lieutenant governor have a shot at getting help for their kids, he said.
My daughter is one of the lucky 1 or 2 percent of people in the state who have access to behavioral therapists. With or without this, she was going to be fine. But the average person stood no chance whatsoever. What this means is that everybody who is suffering from this diagnosis will have a real shot and independence.
State Rep. Lisa Brown, D-West Bloomfield, urged members not to play politics with the childrens health.
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Autism coverage bills approved by Michigan House, Lt. Gov. Calley calls them 'most important' he's worked on