January 31, 2012 Status Update:
HB 1106 passed out of the Senate Monday with a resounding 40-0 vote.
The families and providers in the Gallery were recognized by Senator Janet Howell as she introduced the bill. Although it was initially voted on in the Uncontested Calendar, a technical malfunction required a separate vote.
The next step is to await the Governor's signature!
Please take a minute to thank your Senator for voting for HB 1106:
Richmond Sunlight allows you to identify your Senator and contact them via email.
Thank You Everyone!
January 28, 2012 Status Update:
HB 1106 flew out of Senate Education and Health Committee unanimously. The Senate waived the first reading of the bill and the Second reading was Friday. On Monday, January 30, 2012, HB 1106 will be on the uncontested calendar and hopefully the Senate will pass the measure with little or no fanfare.
Senator Janet Howell is ready to defend the bill if someone raises any questions and she conformed her bill to the House bill.
After the bill passes the Senate, it goes to the Governor for his signature and the 280 day clock will start running.
January 17, 2012 Status Update:
Huge accomplishment today (one of many more to go).
HB 1106 as introduced was amended after discussions with the Governor’s staff and the insurance industry. KEY provisions of the amended draft as agreed:
- Emergency Clause: Regulations within 280 days.
- A Working Group rather than an Advisory Board: made up of 3 BCBAs who have been practicing at least 3 years; one BCaBA practicing at least 3 years, one consumer or family member and no more than 2 others that the Board of Medicine may deem it necessary to appoint.
- This Working Group will draft regulations to regulate BCBAs, BCaBAs and the supervision of unlicensed individuals providing ABA.
HB 1106 was passed out of the House Health, Welfare and Institutions committee on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 with a 21-0 vote.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the bill will be on the Floor of the House of Delegates for First Reading, Second Reading (debate) and Third Reading (vote).
We are very grateful to Delegate Greason and the members of the House Health, Welfare and Institutions committee for their support of children with a diagnosis of autism and their families.
NEXT STEPS:
- Thank the members of the committee for their "yes" vote.
- Contact all the Delegates and be present on Thursday for the debate and Friday for the VOTE!
WE must have 80 votes to keep our emergency clause and regulations within 280 days. Keep pushing!!
Status:
The bill that passed in the Virginia 2011 legislative session required insurance coverage of treatment and therapy including Applied Behavior Analysis, (ABA) for children ages 2-6 on the Autism Spectrum.
At the last minute the Governor added an amendment to our bill, which has delayed the implementation of the ABA coverage.
The Governor’s amendment to license Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) in Virginia was determined by the Attorney General’s office to be inadequate to authorize the Board of Medicine to write the regulations to govern the licensure. Thus, under the current law the way it is written, it is impossible to have ABA reimbursed by insurance.
The law had a mandate that the insurance companies prepare to provide coverage on January 1, 2012. The key therapy (ABA) will not be covered and families are once again facing out of pocket expenses that they cannot hope to afford.
Insurance companies have built the cost of covering this therapy, as mandated by the bill, into their premiums for the 2012 policy year. They are pocketing that amount without having to pay for the therapy.
The 2012 legislative session has to FIX the law with language that will either authorize the Board of Medicine to act to promulgate regulations to license BCBAs in Virginia or altogether remove the licensure provision from the bill.
The Virginia Autism Project is coordinating efforts with our Patrons to properly implement this law.
Next Steps:
January 11, 2012—First day of Legislative Session
- Stay Tuned for Autism Legislative Day plans (date to be announced)
- Delegate Tag Greason and Senator Janet Howell are each introducing bills to “fix” the technical issues presented by the Governor’s amendment to our bill in the last session.
- BCBAs, BCaBAs, Providers and Families: JOIN OUR MAILIING LIST and receive ACTION NOTICES
- DONATE to the Virginia Autism Project to help us pay for expenses to implement the law.
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Virginia Autism Insurance Reform: What Does It Mean for You?
A Series of Workshops for Parents:
October 8, Saturday--Richmond, 10 a.m.
Hyatt Place Richmond Airport
4401 South Laburnum Avenue,
Richmond, VA 23231 (Free)
October 15, Saturday--Virginia Beach,
Tidewater Summit, 12:00 and 2:00
Tidewater Autism Summit , VAP
Double Tree Hotel
Virginia Beach Convention Center
1900 Pavillion Dr
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Summit hours 11:00-4:00
Insurance Breakouts at 12:00 and 2:00 (Free)
October 15, Saturday --Roanoke,
GRVAAG Conference (small conference charge)
1338 Rainbow Forest Drive
Troutville, VA 24175
At the Rainbow Forest Baptist Church
November 3, Thursday--Northern Virginia,
10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Metro Offices
Ballston Office Center
4601 N Fairfax Drive
Suite 1200
Arlington, VA 22203 (Free)
November 10, Thurs.—Fredericksburg 7 p.m.
Salem Church Library
2607 Salem Church Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22407 (Free)
December 3, Saturday-- Richmond, 10 a.m.
River Road United Methodist Church,
8800 River Road,
Richmond 23229. (Free)
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
Families whose employer has 50 or more employees and whose medical insurance is NOT a self-funded plan.
After three years of work together in the Virginia Legislature, the Virginia Autism Project and Autism Speaks brought autism insurance to Virginia.
What can you do if you are entitled to coverage under the autism insurance mandate and you receive a denial letter?
Join us at one of our workshops! |
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Virginia Autism Project and Autism Speaks join Virginia families in applauding Governor Bob McDonnell for signing House Bill 2467 and Senate Bill 1062 into law on May 6, 2011.
This legislation requires state-regulated health plans to provide coverage of autism diagnosis and treatment for children between the ages of two to six. Stakeholders and Virginia legislators have been working to pass autism insurance reform legislation in the Commonwealth for more than a decade.
HB 2467 was sponsored in the House by Delegates Tag Greason (District 32) and Tim Hugo (District 40). SB 1062 was sponsored in the Senate by State Senator Janet Howell (District 32).
“HB 2467 and SB 1062 are the culmination of over 11 years of legislative work, and countless hours of effort put forth by the parents and advocates in support of Autism,” said Delegate Tag Greason. ”This legislation delicately balances the needs of our families with the struggles that employers throughout the Commonwealth are faced with. It is the right thing to do and I am proud to be a small part of the process."
Senator Janet Howell, who has a grand-nephew diagnosed with autism, stated “Finally, finally, after a decade of effort by advocates, insurance companies will be required to provide applied behavioral analysis treatment for young children with autism. It has been an incredible struggle to achieve this victory. I am so proud of the many families and Autism Speaks for their persistence and dedication in getting help for young children. I am honored to have played a part in the struggle.”
”Thanks to the efforts of Autism Speaks and the many families across our state, we are on the verge of providing many children with a diagnosis of autism with services that they have long needed. With this bill, we begin to lift the darkness that is autism." said Delegate Tim Hugo.
The passage of Virginia’s legislation is a milestone, as over half of the states have now enacted legislation to address autism insurance discrimination, requiring private health insurance to cover essential autism treatments and services, including applied behavior analysis. In the absence of coverage, families often pay as much as they can out-of-pocket for services that can cost upwards of $50,000 per year. In the process, many risk their homes and the educations of their unaffected children – essentially mortgaging their entire futures.
”Autism Speaks applauds Governor McDonnell for listening to Virginia’s families and signing SB 1062 and HB 2467 into law. This legislation will extend a helping hand to families that have been financially devastated by the lack of insurance coverage for necessary autism therapies,” said Peter Bell, Autism Speaks executive vice president of programs and services. ”In addition, we are grateful for the remarkable commitment and leadership of Senator Howell, Senate Majority Leader Saslaw, Delegate Greason, Delegate Hugo, and Speaker Howell on this issue."
"We are grateful to our patrons in the House and Senate for leading us down the path to passage by the legislature and we thank Governor McDonnell for signing the bill into law” said Virginia Advocacy Chair Teresa Champion.
In addition to Virginia, twenty-seven states – Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin – have enacted autism insurance reform legislation. Several other state legislatures are considering similar legislation during the 2011 session. |
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Autism Speaks today joined Virginia families, the Virginia Autism Project, and other autism advocacy organizations in applauding the members of the Virginia General Assembly for their return of Senate Bill 1062 and House Bill 2467 to Governor Bob McDonnell. Both chambers approved four of the five amendments proposed by the Governor, who has indicated that he will sign the legislation. Senate Bill 1072 and House Bill 2647 require health insurance companies to provide coverage of evidence-based autism therapies, including applied behavior analysis (ABA).
If enacted, SB 1062, sponsored in the Senate by State Senator Janet Howell (District 32), and HB 2467, sponsored in the House by Delegates Tag Greason (District 32) and Tim Hugo (District 40), will require insurance coverage of autism therapies for children between the ages of two and six, a critical period for the administration of early intensive intervention therapies for individuals with autism.
“Autism Speaks applauds the members of the General Assembly for listening to Virginia’s families and returning SB 1062 and HB 2467 to the Governor in a meaningful form. This legislation will extend a helping hand to families that have been financially devastated by the lack of insurance coverage for necessary autism therapies,” said Peter Bell, Autism Speaks executive vice president of programs and services. “We are grateful for the leadership of Senator Howell, Senate Majority Leader Saslaw, Delegate Greason, Delegate Hugo, and Speaker Howell on this issue and now call on Governor McDonnell to sign these bills into law, allowing Virginia to become the 26th state to join the ranks of states that have recognized the unfair and unreasonable burden being imposed on families of children with autism.”
To date, twenty-five states – Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin – have enacted autism insurance reform legislation. Several other state legislatures are expected to consider similar legislation during the current 2011 session.
"We are grateful to our patrons in the House and Senate for leading us down the path to passage by the legislature,” said Virginia Chapter Advocacy Chair Teresa Champion. “We look forward to the Governor signing the bill as promised." |
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