As you may have heard, California’s Department of Insurance filed emergency regulations last month which were made permanent this week. These regulations reiterate existing law and target the delays and denials of insurance carriers who have sought to limit the application of California’s autism mandate. This is a great victory for California’s autism community, as the permanent regulations represent another tool in the arsenal of families who have been struggling to get authorization for autism treatment or battling with insurance carriers to get sufficient hours and authorizations in a timely fashion.
California Autism Insurance Mandate Extension
Senator Darrell Steinberg has authored a bill, SB 126, to extend California’s autism insurance mandate until July 1, 2019. Without this bill, the autism mandate will sunset in 2014. The Senate Health Committee will hear this bill on April 10th, and your letters in support of the bill are vital to its passage. For your convenience, we have attached a sample letter of support. Of course, we encourage you to share your personal story with Senator Steinberg regarding the importance of the autism insurance mandate to you and your family. All letters should be emailed to Louis.Vismara@sen.ca.gov or faxed to (916)327-8867. Your support makes all the difference!