By SCOTT JORGENSEN
SALEM, Ore.- A bill establishing requirements for health insurance coverage of autism spectrum disorders received a public hearing during the Senate Health Care, Human Services and Rural Health Policy Committee?s Friday meeting.
Supporters of Senate Bill 1568 testified on its behalf.
Portland resident Paul Terdal testified that he has two autistic children. That condition is covered by insurance under current laws, including those involving mental health parity; but Terdal said obtaining care is still very difficult for families.
The purpose of SB 1568 is to streamline the process of obtaining care so that people do not have to fill out extensive paperwork for six months or get a court order to receive it, Terdal said.
Dr. Robin McCoy, a specialist in developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), testified via telephone on behalf of the bill.
McCoy said that around 150 children are diagnosed with autism at OHSU every year. Insurance companies in Oregon cover very few services for autism, McCoy said, and parents usually have to fight for that limited assistance.
In her testimony, McCoy said many parents of autistic children have had to move out of Oregon to get the help they need.
Melanie Shaw, a behavior analyst and owner of the Beaverton-based Play Connections autism intervention center, said she has witnessed many ?heartbreaking scenarios? with parents who cannot afford critical treatments for their children.
Testimony was also heard from Tobi Rates, executive director of the Autism Society of Oregon. She said she has spent several years talking to the various stakeholders surrounding the issue and that there is ?clear consensus? that the bill is urgently needed.
Rates said she and her husband have had to leverage all of their assets in order to pay for their autistic child?s treatments. She added that she knows several parents who have bankrupted themselves to pay for treatment and that some have even lost their homes.
Parents in such situations can pursue administrative remedies, Rates said, but that is expensive and time consuming.
Lobbyist John Powell spoke on behalf of Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon. He said there is ?solidarity? on the part of insurers to provide the coverage sought by proponents of SB 1568.
The bill has changed ?substantially? from its original form due to collaborative efforts between insurance companies and advocates for additional autism coverage, Powell said.
However, Sen. Chip Shields, D-Portland, said he was ?frustrated? by the lack of progress that has been made thus far on reaching a resolution of the matter.
Powell testified that the industry is ?trying to find ways? to make the legislation work for it. He said the credentialing of specialists is still an issue and that sideboards must be put on the costs of providing the treatments.
Shields encouraged Powell to continue negotiating in good faith with proponents of the legislation, adding that they have told him they have made numerous concessions to the industry throughout the process.
Terdal had testified that he has been working on the bill since the end of the 2009 legislative session. Shields expressed optimism that a final resolution could be reached during the legislature?s next session in 2013.
Before closing the public hearing, Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson (D-Gresham), chair of the committee, said she wanted more input from the rest of the state?s major insurance companies before advancing the bill any further. Anderson added that she knows many legislators who support the proposed legislation.
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