California families will have additional health insurance benefits to support pervasive developmental disorders like autism.
Health insurance companies are sending out notices in April to alert plan members that;
Beginning July 1, 2012, policies are being updated to comply with a recently passed California bill (CA 2011 SB946). This bill requires that all health plans and policies provide coverage for behavioral health treatment for pervasive developmental disorder, applied behavioral analysis (ABA) or autism.
This plan enhancement is set to apply to all Individual/Family Plans and employer small and large group plans. The inclusion of this benefit, specifically directed towards children, was a long process.
The California Department of Insurance has been working with a variety of insurance companies to include ABA in covered benefits as well as all the specifics of that coverage. While some insurers have been offering coverage and benefits since 2009, SB946 will make the coverage applicable to all health insurance policies in the State of California