RALEIGH, N.C. Several Piedmont families were in Raleigh Wednesday, speaking to lawmakers about a proposed bill requiring insurance companies to cover autism therapies.
For parents of childrendealing withautism, it can be $60,000 a year out of pocket for these necessary treatments. Medically prescribed treatments, explained Liz Feld, president of Autism Speaks.
Currently, North Carolina insurance companies are not required to cover Applied Behavioral Analysis, or ABA, therapy. Itscalled the golden standard of successful treatment for patients with autism.
Feld visited Raleigh from New York to speak with Senators about a measure that originated as HB498 and is now also before the Senate in SB493.
It passed the House two years ago and is still waiting for a vote in the state Senate.
We need to make sure the insurance companies dont win this fight. Families need to be covered, Feld insisted. She said 37 other states and the District of Columbia have already passed such legislation.
Wendy and John Mies are from Greensboro. They were in Raleigh to share their sons story. He was diagnosed two years ago when he was three years old.
I had to reinforce the bed he was rocking so hard. He was hurting his back. He was hurting his little brother. It was not good. It was a nightmare, frankly, John said.
The couple said after getting their sonABA treatment at ABC of NC Child Development Center and Autism Clinic, the transformation was miraculous.
A year and a half later, hes a completely different child, said Wendy. He hasnt even started kindergarten yet and is considered academically gifted. Hes been reading for two years, he taught himself. Hes doing multiplication and fractions; he can speak some Chinese and Spanish.
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Greensboro family meets with lawmakers in Raleigh to push for better autism health coverage