By Jonathan Slack, Market Research & Development Specialist, AHSS
On this blog we often write about states passing, or attempting to pass, autism insurance mandates. Today we are going to take a step back and give an update on the country’s overall progress of ensuring every individual on the autism spectrum gets the care he or she needs. Indiana enacted the first autism insurance mandate in 2001, but other states did not start following suit until 2007, when Texas and South Carolina passed their autism insurance mandates. Now there are 41 states that have autism insurance mandates. The nine states without autism insurance mandates are: Hawaii, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama, Idaho, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Wyoming.
Autism insurance mandates are important because without them most insurance companies will not cover Applied Behavioral Analysis, or ABA therapy. ABA is essential to improving behaviors and social skills for individuals on the spectrum. Hopefully the nine states listed above will eventually pass their own autism insurance mandates. No one should be denied the opportunity to succeed based on where they live.
