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Friday, February 26, 2016

Iowa Senate Passes Mandate

The Politics of Autism includes an extensive discussion of insurance legislation in the states.

Jenna Rehnstrom reports at KCAU-TV:
Iowa lawmakers are inching closer to big changes for families who have children with autism.

A bill has been passed in the senate that would require insurance companies cover autism treatment. Right now, only state employees have coverage. State Senator Rick Bertrand from Sioux City voted "yes" and has been supportive of the efforts.

Senator Bertrand says, "From a policy standpoint you just keep whittling away. You know that the support was very very minimal [at first], to give this access to parents to treat autism as a chronic disease as opposed to an acute disease; again every year you pick up a little more support and I'm proud to say this was the year we got it through the senate 41-7."

The bill now moves on to the Iowa house.