skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

NC Lawmakers Look at Expanded Coverage for Autism

play audio
Play

Wednesday, June 3, 2015   

RALEIGH, N.C. - Almost 14,000 North Carolina children are diagnosed with autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and those children aren't guaranteed coverage for their treatment. It largely depends on their insurance provider, but a bill passed in the State Senate and on its way to the House would provide insurance coverage of autism spectrum disorders for physician-advised treatments.

David Laxton, director of communications for the Autism Society of North Carolina, said it's a matter of inequality for families covered by insurance policies that don't voluntarily cover autism treatments.

"It's a real cost issue for families," he said, "and it's also a fairness issue because you pay in for your health-care premiums, and what has been getting in the way of treatments is because autism has been looked at differently than other conditions."

If Senate Bill 676 passes, the coverage would be similar to the state employee health plan that began offering coverage in January. Benefits would be provided through age 18 and be capped at $40,000 a year. The House is expected to take on the issue next week in committee. The national advocacy group Autism Speaks supports broader autism insurance coverage and estimates the average increase to a policy holder to be about 31 cents in North Carolina.

Laxton said the current system for people without autism coverage on their policy is a maze of red tape.

"Somebody may be eligible for x-number of visits to a speech or an OT therapist before they have a diagnosis of autism," he said. "Once the diagnosis comes through, then that changes what they're eligible for."

Thirty-seven states and Washington, D.C., have laws related to autism and insurance coverage.

The text of SB 676 is online at ncleg.net.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021