autism treatment to insurance companies

Recent legislation signed by Gov. Rick Snyder is requiring insurance companies to pay for treatments for people diagnosed with autism.

According to a series of bills signed April 18 by Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, insurance companies have 180 days to comply with the new laws. Calley has a daughter who was diagnosed with autism and has been a high profile-backer of the bills.

The new laws are good news for many, considering recent statistics released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which state that one in 88 children in the United States will be diagnosed with some form of autism.

This figure is up from six years ago, when the number was at one in 110.

Dr. Colleen Allen, president and CEO of the Michigan Autism Alliance, said there are factors contributing to the increase, including increased awareness of the disorder, earlier identification and an unknown factor that is contributing to the issue.

"I try not to react too strongly (to the new statistics). I really do feel that it is (due to) more awareness," she said.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, Autism Spectrum Disorders are a range of complex developmental disorders that cause problems with thinking, feeling, language and the ability to relate to others. How the disorders affect an individual and the severity of the symptoms are different in each person.

The bills require insurers being an appropriations bill stating how the services will be paid. A family will still use its insurance policy, but the state will reimburse insurance companies. The coverage will include a number of expenses, including standard medical evaluations, neurological care and an array of therapies, such as speech, occupational and Applied Behavioral Analysis.