Access to medical care for autism may expand in multiple ways during the new year in New Mexico. Health care advocates are simultaneously celebrating the developments while preparing for the next hurdle.
On Jan. 1, a law goes into effect requiring state health care programs to cover diagnoses and treatment for autism.
The change continues a recent trend in New Mexico expanding health coverage of the neurological disorder, which impacts social and behavioral development. Five years ago, state lawmakers passed a bill that similarly expanded autism coverage for private insurers. And a planned spike in Medicaid practices here promises to provide similar treatment for more patients.
I think theres been an incredible amount of change thats occurred, says Santa Fe provider Zoe Migel, who serves as executive director of Bright Futures: Autism and Early Intervention.
But whether there are enough providers actually available to grant new coverage is another story. Migel and several others say this is especially an issue in remote, rural areas where health care is harder to come by.
If you live in Albuquerque or Las Cruces, your chances of getting good services [are] much better, she says. Even though there are mandates, the problem remains as to whether you get access to those services anyway.
"We have access to services, but we dont have enough people to provide services"
Its something that Laura Bruening, the mother of a 13-year-old boy with autism, experienced herself. In the early years of her sons life, the family lived in Edgewood, where certified providers from Albuquerque would travel to treat her son. The distance meant limited service, and eventually, she moved closer to where she could receive care for her son.
A lot of rural areas really rely on people in the city, Bruening says. I said, Enough, and moved to Albuquerque.
Five of the six state-certified providers that use Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), the most widely accepted medical approach to treat autism, are based in Albuquerque. That leaves a void for similar coverage in other parts of the state, including Santa Fe.
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