State legislation: Rhode Island - Two autism insurance bills in the legislature; House bill explicitly identifies ABA, Senate bill not

The Rhode Island General Assembly is entertaining two autism insurance bills - one, House Bill 7260, would define and cover applied behavior analysis as an autism treatment; the other, Senate Bill 2422, does not state either - it includes a provision to increase training and numbers of related personnel such as nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and occupational therapist assistants.

House Bill  No.7260   BY  Palumbo, Naughton, Corvese, Jackson, Caprio D

H. 7260 ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE -- AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS
(would require coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders)
{LC106/1}

01/28/2010 Introduced, referred to House Corporations
03/10/2010 Committee transferred to House Committee on Health, Education & Welfare
03/31/2010 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration

03/31/2010 Committee postponed at request of sponsor

H.7260 defines applied behavior analysis, includes coverage of applied behavior analysis within "habilitative or rehabilitative care", however the delivery of applied behavior analysis is not defined nor are such as BACB certificants or of equivalent competency defined.   A statement is made that an "Autism services provider" means any person, entity, or group that provides treatment.


Senate Bill  No.2422  BY   O`Neill E, Pinga, Cote, Raptakis, Maher

S.2422 ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- THE RHODE ISLAND AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER INTERVENTION AND TREATMENT ACT
(would direct the departments of health and human services to prepare an accelerated intervention plan for dealing with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and would further provide that health insurance policies must cover ASD treatment)
{LC1432/1}

02/11/2010 Introduced, referred to Senate Health and Human Services

S. 2422 does not identify applied behavior analysis, nor does it specify it as a treatment modality. The bill does direct the state institutions of higher education to evaluate whether nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant programs offer preparation for those who interact with ASD patients and families and present a plan, including financial and scholarship incentives to encourage study in these fields.

For more information
Bill would require R.I. insurers to cover autism treatment
01:00 AM EDT on Friday, March 26, 2010
By Gina Macris Journal Staff Writer
The Providence Journal

The State of Rhode Island General Assembly

Autism votes Rhode Island

© 2010 Regina G. Claypool-Frey
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