From The Virginian-Pilot. The picture of 4-year-old Mark Llobell, whose grandfather is trying to get the autism insurance bill passes in Virginia, is from WAVY-TV coverage of the story.Fighting off tears, Casandra Oldham relayed to a crowd Jan. 15 at the Capitol the moment she realized she couldn't afford to fully treat both of her autistic sons.
"I had to ask myself, 'Which boy do I help? Do I help the one that needs it the most, or do I help the one that will go the furthest?' " Oldham said.
"These are questions no parent should have to ask..."
Many in the crowd understood. They rallied at the statehouse to support a bill that would force health insurance companies to cover autism treatment for people younger than 21.
Opponents, including the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, say the mandate would increase the cost of insurance, pricing out more people and hitting small businesses especially hard.
"It is a very difficult time to be adding a mandate that will drive up the cost," said Keith Cheatham, the chamber's vice president of government affairs.
The bill, HB1588, won support in November from the Virginia Mandated Benefits Commission by a 6-4 vote. John Maloney, Richmond coordinator for the group Autism Speaks, said at least half of the House of Delegates had signaled support as of Thursday.
The bill would cover up to $36,000 in treatment and exempt businesses with 25 or fewer employees.
Oldham, whose husband, Bill, runs a small tech company, said full treatment for their two autistic sons would cost about $14,000 a month.
The couple said their community helped but that Gareth, 4, and Korlan, 2, still receive nowhere near the kind of intense treatment they need.
Maloney said the bill would raise the cost of insurance $1 to $2 a month per policy holder.Cheatham said a government study said the cost could be as high as $4.88.
If passed, the Virginia legislation only would cover a portion of insured workers. The reason, Cheatham said, is that self-insured policies, such as the ones that cover many larger employers, fall under federal law, which doesn't require autism coverage.
Maloney said autism activists also are fighting for the mandate on the federal level.
Eight states, beginning with Indiana about 10 years ago, already have such a mandate.
The neurobiological disorder affects an estimated 7,500 public school students in Virginia, Maloney said.
