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In the Tuesday April 6, 2010 hearing on SS/SB 618/ the autism insurance bill currently in the House Special Standing Committee on Health Insurance, insurance industry representatives requested that the Senate bill as it stands be rejected in preference to House bill HB 1311&1341, which has a lower age and annual treatment cap. HB 1311&1341 would also establish a licensing requirement for supervision of applied behavior analysis service delivery and practice of applied behavior analysis, which the Senate bill does not contain. The Committee did not take action on SS/SB 618 on Tuesday, although compromises were discussed.
From the Missourian news article, in reference to concerns about lack of a licensing provision,
"David Smith, a lobbyist for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, also opposed the Senate bill and expressed concerns about its lack of licensing requirements for therapists.
'There needs to be a background check, at least,' Smith said. 'These people are part of the day-to-day operation in the lives of those kids.'
Qualms regarding licensing and training regulations resurfaced later in the hearing, when the government affairs director for the insurance company Coventry Health Care, Cheryl Dillard, testified against the bill.
'Many of (the therapists) will be alone with very vulnerable children,' Dillard said. 'Licensing is terribly important.' " Unstated in the news article, although covered by this blog, is that Missouri currently has a separate licensing bill submitted in the 2010 legislature which would license the profession of applied behavior analysis,
SB 1030: AN ACT To amend chapter 337, RSMo, by adding thereto ten new sections relating to the licensure of the profession of applied behavior analysis, with penalty provisions. SB 1030 has had no movement since its assignment on March 4, 2010 to the Senate Financial and Governmental Organizations and Elections Committee
For more reading
Missouri House committee looks for compromise with Senate autism bill
Wednesday, April 7, 2010 | 12:01 a.m. CDT
Missourian
Past blog posts
Sunday, April 4, 2010
State legislation: Missouri - SS/SB 618 autism insurance bill scheduled for House Committee hearing on Tuesday, April 6, 2010; HB 1311 & 1341, and SB 1030 in holding pattern
Saturday, March 13, 2010
State legislation - Missouri SB 1030 - Creates the Behavior Analyst Advisory Board and requires licensing to engage in applied behavior analysis
© 2010 Regina G. Claypool-Frey
Disclaimer: This blog publishes news and announcements only as a service to interested persons, the posts are the responsibility of the individual author, and unless otherwise noted do not constitute nor claim to represent the official position of ABA International, its officers or associated entities. This blog makes no representation as to the accuracy of the report and readers are strongly encouraged to consult and reference the primary sources noted.
The Rhode Island Legislative Committee Calendar shows
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} as scheduled for hearing on Wednesday, April 14, 2010 in the House Committee on Health, Education & Welfare.
TIME: Rise of the House
PLACE: Room 135 - State House
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.
Another bill which proposes autism treatment coverage but does not include behavioral treatment, SB 2422, is currently in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. SB 2422 shows no movement since its introduction and referral to that Committee.
For more information
The State of Rhode Island General Assembly
Autism Votes Rhode Island
Past post
Saturday, March 27, 2010
State legislation: Rhode Island - Two autism insurance bills in the legislature; House bill explicitly identifies ABA, Senate bill not
© 2010 Regina G. Claypool-Frey
Disclaimer: This blog publishes news and announcements only as a service to interested persons, the posts are the responsibility of the individual author, and unless otherwise noted do not constitute nor claim to represent the official position of ABA International, its officers or associated entities. This blog makes no representation as to the accuracy of the report and readers are strongly encouraged to consult and reference the primary sources noted.
April 20, 2010 is the deadline for submitting public comment to the initial draft recommendations to the fifth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, aka DSM-5.
After April 20, the draft will still be available for viewing, but comments will no longer be taken.
The anticipated release of the completed DSM-5 is May 2013 to coordinate with the scheduled U.S. implementation on October 1, 2013 of the International Classification of Diseases-10-Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) (World Health Organization/WHO) codes for all Medicare/Medicaid claims reporting. Chapter V of the ICD-10-CM is Mental and behavioral disorders. A related development is that the ICD is also in revision to ICD-11 - that revised version is expected to be released in 2014 or 2015.
Past post
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Initial draft revision of the DSM-V unveiled Wednesday, February 10, 2010; comments requested until April 20, 2010
© 2010 Regina G. Claypool-Frey
Disclaimer: This blog publishes news and announcements only as a service to interested persons, the posts are the responsibility of the individual author, and unless otherwise noted do not constitute nor claim to represent the official position of ABA International, its officers or associated entities. This blog makes no representation as to the accuracy of the report and readers are strongly encouraged to consult and reference the primary sources noted.
Missouri SS/SB 618 Requires health carriers to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders under certain conditions,
is currently scheduled for a hearing in the House Special Standing Committee on Health Insurance, at 1:30PM, Tuesday, April 6, 2010 in Hearing Room 5.
Missouri SS/SB 618 passed the Senate by a 26 to 6 vote on March 18, 2010.
The related House bill, HB 1311 & 1341 , which passed the Missouri House by a 135-18 vote on February 18, 2010 had its 2nd reading in the Senate and is currently in the Senate Small Business, Insurance & Industry Committee. No hearing date nor calendar schedule has been set as of today.
The non-insurance bill SB 1030, which would establish a license to engage in the practice of applied behavior analysis, administered under the Board of Psychologist Examiners, was assigned to Senate Financial and Governmental Organizations and Elections Committee and also does not show a hearing scheduled at this time.
For more information
Missouri Legislature
Past posts
Friday, March 19, 2010
State legislation: Missouri SS/SB 618 passes Senate & HCS HB 1311&1341 also progresses in the Missouri legislature
Saturday, March 13, 2010
State legislation - Missouri SB 1030 - Creates the Behavior Analyst Advisory Board and requires licensing to engage in applied behavior analysis
© 2010 Regina G. Claypool-Frey
Disclaimer: This blog publishes news and announcements only as a service to interested persons, the posts are the responsibility of the individual author, and unless otherwise noted do not constitute nor claim to represent the official position of ABA International, its officers or associated entities. This blog makes no representation as to the accuracy of the report and readers are strongly encouraged to consult and reference the primary sources noted.
An April 6, 2010 hearing in the New Hampshire Senate Commerce, Labor and Consumer Protection Committee is scheduled for,
HB 569-FN - As amended, aka "Connor's Law": clarifying insurance coverage for diagnosis and treatment of pervasive developmental disorder or autism The April 6 hearing is currently set for 8:30AM in LOB 210-211.
As previously reported, the purpose of this bill is to clarify already existing statute and coverage of autism spectrum disorders in alignment with American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations. While applied behavior analysis is referred to in this legislation, BACB certificants or competencies of "pervasive developmental disorder or autism service provider" to deliver behavior analytic services are not defined within the bill.
HB 569-FN was passed in the New Hampshire House on January 6, 2010, and was referred to its current Senate Committee on March 3, 2010.
For more information
The New Hampshire General Court
Autism Votes New Hampshire page
Past post
Sunday, March 28, 2010
State legislation: New Hampshire HB 569-FN autism insurance bill stuck in Senate Committee
© 2010 Regina G. Claypool-Frey
Disclaimer: This blog publishes news and announcements only as a service to interested persons, the posts are the responsibility of the individual author, and unless otherwise noted do not constitute nor claim to represent the official position of ABA International, its officers or associated entities. This blog makes no representation as to the accuracy of the report and readers are strongly encouraged to consult and reference the primary sources noted.
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), the body established in accordance with the Combating Autism Act of 2006 ( P.L. 109-416), and whose charge is to
"coordinate all efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services concerning autism spectrum disorder to combat autism through research, screening, intervention and education. The Committee’s primary mission is to facilitate the efficient and effective exchange of information on autism activities among the member agencies, and to coordinate autism-related programs and initiatives" has issued a new report,
2009 Summary of Advances in Autism Spectrum Disorder Research in which the IACC identifies what they have selected as the twenty top studies from the peer-reviewed literature of 2009 providing significant insight into prevalence, biology, potential risk factors and possible interventions related to autism spectrum disorders.
The current report has a somewhat different format than the prior reports of 2008 and 2007 in being more of a list of articles than a background document.
The twenty articles selected for 2009 from the 63 nominated are,
- Aman, M.G., McDougle, C.J., Scahill, L., Handen, B., Arnold, L.E., Johnson, C,, et al. (2009).. Medication and parent training in children with pervasive developmental disorders and serious behavior problems: results from a randomized clinical trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 48(12),1143-1154.
- Atladóttir, H.O., Pedersen, M.G., Thorsen, P., Mortensen, P.B., Deleuran, B., Eaton, W.W., et al.(2009). Association of family history of autoimmune diseases and autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics, 124(2):687-94.
- Bucan, M., Abrahams, B.S., Wang, K., Glessner. J.T., Herman, E.I., Sonnenblick, L.I., et al. (2009). Genome-wide analyses of exonic copy number variants in a family-based study point to novel autism susceptibility genes. Public Library of Science Genetics., 5(6):e1000536.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network Surveillance Year 2006 Principal Investigators.(2009). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders - Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, United States, 2006. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Surveillance Summaries, 58(10), 1-20.
- Glessner, J.T., Wang, K., Cai, G., Korvatska, O., Kim, C.E., Wood, S., et al. (2009). Autism genome-wide copy number variation reveals ubiquitin and neuronal genes. Nature, 459(7246), 569-73.
- Gregory, S.G., Connelly, J.J., Towers, A.J., Johnson, J., Biscocho, D., Markunas, C.A., et.al. Genomic and epigenetic evidence for oxytocin receptor deficiency in autism. BMC Medicine, 7:62.
- Grether JK, Anderson MC, Croen LA, Smith D, Windham GC. (2009). Risk of autism and increasing maternal and paternal age in a large North American population. American Journal of Epidemiology, 170(9):1118-26.
- Haswell, C.C., Izawa, J., Dowell, L.R., Mostofsky, S.H., & Shadmehr, R.(2009). Representation of internal models of action in the autistic brain. Nature Neuroscience,12(8),970-2.
- Ibrahim, S.H., Voigt, R.G., Katusic, S.K., Weaver, A.L., & Barbaresi, W.J.(2009). Incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms in children with autism: a population-based study. Pediatrics,124(2), 680-6.
- King M, Bearman P. Diagnostic change and the increased prevalence of autism. International Journal of Epidemiology, 38(5),1224-34.
- Klin, A., Lin, D.J., Gorrindo, P., Ramsay, G.,& Jones, W. (2009). Two-year-olds with autism orient to non-social contingencies rather than biological motion. Nature. 459(7244), 257-61.
- Kogan, M.D., Blumberg, S.J., Schieve, L.A., Boyle, C.A., Perrin, J.M., Ghandour, R.M., et al. (2009). Prevalence of parent-reported diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder among children in the US, 2007. Pediatrics, 124(5), 1395-403.
- Mandell, D.S., Wiggin,s L.D., Carpenter, L.A., Daniels, J., DiGuiseppi, C., Durkin, M.S., et al. (2009). Racial/ethnic disparities in the identification of children with autism spectrum disorders. American Journal of Public Health, 99(3), 493-8.
- Nakatani, J., Tamada, K., Hatanaka, F., Ise, S., Ohta, H., Inoue, K., et al (2009). Abnormal behavior in a chromosome-engineered mouse model for human 15q11-13 duplication seen in autism. Cell, 137(7),1235-46.
- Ramocki, M.B., Peters, S.U., Tavyev, Y.J., Zhang, F., Carvalho, C.M., Schaaf, C.P., et al. (2009). Autism and other neuropsychiatric symptoms are prevalent in individuals with MeCP2 duplication syndrome. Annals of Neurology. 66(6),771-82.
- Shattuck, P.T., Durkin, M., Maenner, M., Newschaffer, C., Mandell, D.S., Wiggins, L., et al. (2009). Timing of identification among children with an autism spectrum disorder: findings from a population-based surveillance study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 48(5), 474-83.
- Tropea, D., Giacometti, E., Wilson, N.R., Beard, C., McCurry C., Fu, D.D., et al. (2009). Partial reversal of Rett Syndrome-like symptoms in MeCP2 mutant mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U S A., 106(6), 2029-34.
- Wang, K., Zhang, H., Ma, D., Bucan, M., Glessner, J.T., Abrahams, B.S., et al. (2009). Common genetic variants on 5p14.1 associate with autism spectrum disorders. Nature. 459(7246),528-33.
- Weiss, L.A., Arking, D.E., Gene Discovery Project of Johns Hopkins & the Autism Consortium, Daly, M.J., & Chakravarti, A. (2009). A genome-wide linkage and association scan reveals novel loci for autism. Nature, 461(7265),802-8.
- Zwaigenbaum, L., Bryson, S., Lord, C., Rogers, S., Carter, A., Carver, L., et al. (2009). Clinical assessment and management of toddlers with suspected autism spectrum disorder: insights from studies of high-risk infants. Pediatrics, 123(5),1383-91.
Previous post
Saturday, February 6, 2010
U.S. Research Policy: Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee releases the 2010 IACC Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
© 2010 Regina G. Claypool-Frey
Disclaimer: This blog publishes news and announcements only as a service to interested persons, the posts are the responsibility of the individual author, and unless otherwise noted do not constitute nor claim to represent the official position of ABA International, its officers or associated entities. This blog makes no representation as to the accuracy of the report and readers are strongly encouraged to consult and reference the primary sources noted.
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