Research: States Increasingly Mandate Special Autism Services

Authored by Reinke, T. in Managed Care, Volume 17, Issue 8, p. 35-36, (2008).

Article summary (posted Nov 17, 2008):

Many states are seeking to follow the lead of Pennsylvania and Louisiana and expand private health insurance coverage for autism services.

This article discusses who should pay for autism treatments. Under the U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), early intervention and special education programs must provide services to children with autism. This will be a large cost if health insurance has to pay the bill for services offered in public schools. The concern is that the cost of health insurance will go up so much that small businesses will no longer be able to afford health insurance. The hope is that more and more children will be able to shed the autism diagnosis by age 8.

Links:

You can access the original abstract and the complete paper is sometimes available for free via Google Scholar (look for entries that say "PDF" or "HTML" on the right side of the page).
autism, early intervention (EI), education, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), insurance, intervention, lead, legislation, public school, school, special education, treatment
Share |