PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - Parents of children with autism have successfully broadened a bill that would help ensure insurance coverage for a key type of Autism Spectrum Disorder treatment.
The House State Affairs Committee unanimously voted on Wednesday to approve the measure, which only applies to certain insurance plans. But lawmakers warned the broader provisions that the committee voted into the bill could endanger its final passage.
The changes increase the payments available for younger children by thousands of dollars and expand coverage to include more therapists. Representatives from insurance companies have supported the original bill, but have pushed back against the expanded version.
Crystal Reuter's 6-year-old daughter has received the treatment for several years. Reuter, of Sioux Falls, says she's glad the changes passed because the bill "needed a little bit more."
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State Committee Passes Bill for Autism Treatment Coverage