Health-care Reform Bill Passes
Both Houses in US
Both Houses in US
Sunday, March 21, the US House of Representatives passed the Senate version of Health-care Reform Bill.
This is welcome news for Autism Support Groups and families affected by autism. After a year of debating, the bill passed 219 to 212. Once the bill is signed by President Obama, which is expected to happen early this week, the new law will be a great step towards ensuring that all people with autism have access to health-care.
Some of the long awaited provisions for people with autism are:
Parents would receive coverage of “behavioral health treatments” such as ABA therapy.
*Insurers would be prohibited from excluding coverage based on pre-existing conditions.
*Insurers would be prevented from selectively refusing to renew coverage.
*Insurers would no longer be able to charge people different premiums based on their health status, gender or occupation;
*A standardized annual out-of-pocket spending limit would be established so that no family would face bankruptcy due to medical expenses;
*Annual and lifetime benefit caps would be prohibited;
*Mental health would be covered;
*“Habilitative” and “maintenance services” would be covered; and
*Coverage of “behavioral health treatments” such as ABA therapy, would be required.
Will the passage of this bill affect your family in any way?
Related post: Applied Behavior Analysis ~ Maximum Learning Efficientcy
It all sounds so good, doesn't it? All our problems are solved...right. Someone pays. We all pay. We will regret this bill. When will we realize that the government is not our fairy godmother sent to solve all our problems? This will be the end of insurance companies as we know them. That means we lose the independent choices and must be told by those who regulate health care what we can and cannot do. The things in this bill are SCARY!
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