New emergency rules won’t let insurers illegally limit therapy visits.(shannonrosa/flickr)
California regulators have issued emergency regulations aimed at keeping insurance companies from delaying or denying coverage for autism treatment.
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced the approval of emergency rules this week, which take effect immediately.
“Autistic children and their families should now, without delay, receive the transformative treatment that will enable them to succeed in school, their families, and communities,” Jones wrote in a statement.
Insurers have already been required to comply with medically necessary treatment by the state’s Mental Health Parity Law and SB 946, which reinforced the mandate for private insurers to provide behavioral treatment for autism.
However Karen Fessel, executive director of the Northern California-based Autism Health Insurance Project, says these emergency regulations were needed.
“This is an example how even with the right laws in place you still need vigilant regulators who will help interpret the law in ways that they were intended,” says Fessel “Because the health plans often twist things around so much people don’t get the care they need even with the laws.” Continue reading
