(Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune) Carlene Boden, of Pleasant Grove, signs in prior to a Senate committee, addressing SB55 Insurance Coverage for Autism Spectrum Disorder - with her 15-month-old son, Brycen, in her lap, on Thursday. Boden has a 6-year-old daughter, Brianna, who has autism.
Despite misgivings about costs and the potential for abuse by persistent parents, members of the Senate Business and Labor Committee approved a bill 5-2 Thursday that would mandate insurance coverage of autism testing and treatment.
Sponsor Sen. Brian Shiozawa, R-Cottonwood Heights, who is a doctor, argued therapy for children with autism is effective and can be provided in a way that is fiscally responsible.
18,532 balls to represent autistic children
A display of 18,532 balls, representing the number of Utah children with autism, will be installed at the Utah Capitol Rotunda Friday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. The Utah Autism Coalition is creating the ball pit using a giant container built by Home Depot and plastic balls from Toys R Us. The group will also distribute jars with 639 gumballs to each state senator and 247 balls to each representative, representing the average number of autistic children in their districts.
"This is one of the most significant bills that you will face in this session," he told the committee. "It is an opportunity for us to make great medical changes in peoples lives."
Several parents urged the committee to approve SB55, which covers children through age 17, with a benefit of $50,000 a year for those through age 8 and $25,000 for older children. Advocates cited a study of mandates passed in five states that showed the average premium increase was 31 cents per member per month.
"Thirty-one cents per member per month is not going to break your business," Shiozawa said.
But insurance industry representatives questioned the costs and called the bill premature, saying the state should await the outcome of three treatment pilot projects approved in lieu of a mandate last year.
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Bill to mandate Utah coverage for autism treatment passes committee