Autism insurance georgia

How to get a good Autism Insurance for Georgia?

If you have a child who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, then you know how costly the needed therapies and treatments can be. For some children, special services are needed on a daily basis!

Recognizing the need for early intervention.

If your child is diagnosed prior to starting school, then your options for receiving help in covering the costs for services is even more limited. (Some states will ensure that kids with special needs will receive necessary services beginning at the age of 3.) Study after study has proven that early intervention is key. The more intense the services can be offered when a child is first diagnosed with autism, the better the chance the child won’t need long-term care when he or she becomes an adult.

The health care dilemma.

Autism is on the rise. One in 88 American children fall on the autism spectrum disorder. Austim is seen more often in boys than girls. Thus, with the increased number of children being diagnosed with autism, health insurance companies are fearful of being made to provide thousands of dollars for specialized treatment. Thus, several companies will not cover treatment or will cover very limited therapy, such as speech therapy.

Georgia health care.

If you live in Georgia, you probably already know that the state does not require insurance companies to pay for autism treatment. Ouch! For some autistic kids, the needed services could cost as much as $50,000 a year! How many parents have that kind of money at their finger tips?

Thankfully, it is possible to get good insurance that will help cover the expenses of needed therapies and treatments for your child. According to the director of state government affairs for Autism Speaks, there are some health insurance companies that have chosen to cover autism therapy, such as speech therapy and occupational therapy. Examples of these companies include the Federal Employee Health Plan and TriCare.

Ava’s Law brings attention to autism.

Last March, Ava’s Law was presented before the Georgia Senate. If this law gets passed, insurance companies would be required to pay for approved treatments for children who have been diagnosed as being autistic. Approved treatments would be things such as speech therapy, applied behavior analysis or vision therapy. There are so many different treatments being tried, so the companies would only need to cover those that have been scientifically proven to help autistic kids.

Do your homework.

If your current health care plan doesn’t cover treatments for autism, then you will need to do your homework. Find out if you and your family can qualify for TriCare or another company that covers autism therapy. Some companies will cover therapies, such as speech therapy or occupational therapy needed by children with special needs. Thus, the script for such therapies could possibly be written in a general sense (child is diagnosed with speech needs) instead of being specific about autism.

Lastly, check with other parents of autistic children. Find out what insurance company they work with and the steps that they needed to take to ensure that their children received the necessary services.

Is autism covered under Obamacare?

1 comment

  1. Ga has an existing autism mandate which covers all. Ava’s law would have gutted it and everyone over the age of 6 would have lost existing coverage they currently have. It would have negatively impacted the autism children 7+ who do have coverage now due to the existing mandate. Ava’s law passage would also negate the autism coverage under the ACA plans. I think you need to reread your oath.

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