Autism Insurance

Insurance coverage for autism treatments sought

(LA Times) - Patient advocates called on state regulators Tuesday to force health insurers to cover certain autism treatments.

Consumer Watchdog in Santa Monica sent a letter to Cindy Ehnes, executive director of the state Department of Managed Health Care, and her boss, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, expressing concern about delays in resolving coverage complaints from parents of autistic children.

The parents say insurers are refusing to cover needed behavioral therapy for their children. But, the parents say, when they took their complaints to the department, it sat on them for months.

Consumer Watchdog founder Harvey Rosenfield said in the letter that state laws require the department to take swift action on the parents’ complaints and that delays could exacerbate the children’s condition.

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