Lawmakers give final approval to autism bill

Nevada lawmakers gave final approval Saturday to help children with autism by requiring health insurers to cover screening and treatment of the disorder.

Legislators were told the measure would help eliminate the financial ruin that can befall families struggling to provide costly autism treatment for their children.

"Learning about the daily challenges that these families face in obtaining and financing necessary medical treatment was both enlightening and heartbreaking," stated Assemblyman James Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas, who sponsored the bill.

AB162 requires both public and private health insurance companies to screen and provide treatment for autism spectrum disorders up to a cap of $36,000 a year. The requirement goes into effect in 2011.

As the bill moved through the Legislature, public health insurers were dropped from the bill at one point because of concerns that the price tag would be too high. But after an amendment in the Senate, public insurers were added back into the bill.

"The therapy is very effective," Ohrenschall said. "When you look at the lifetime cost of taking care of someone who doesn't get treatment, the benefits far outweigh the costs."

Ohrenschall said that autism affects 5,000 children in Nevada, affecting more children than AIDS, childhood cancer, and diabetes combined.