State Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, D-Beloit, called for the immediate introduction of legislation to help families with autistic children receive government-funded insurance Monday.
This proposal was initially part of Gov. Jim Doyle's budget, but was removed by the Joint Committee on Finance on Friday. The committee is designed to review the budget and eliminate unnecessary expenses.
""Senator Robson was obviously disappointed that it was taken out of the budget,"" said Josh Wescott, communications director for Robson.
According to Jay Wadd, chief of staff for state Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay, the autism insurance proposal was cut because the committee saw the request for funding as a policy issue because it would require insurance companies to cover treatment for autistic children.
Hansen, a member of the Joint Committee on Finance supports the bill. Wadd said there was enough money in the budget and because the policy was a private insurance mandate, it would not be costly to the state.
There are 17 states that already require insurance companies to cover this type of intervention and treatment for kids, including Kentucky, Indiana and Georgia, according to Westcott.
As far as passing the legislation, Wescott said Robson is hoping both Republicans and Democrats agree that making healthcare more affordable for autistic children is an important issue to address.
Research has shown that if diagnosed and treated at an early age, there is about a 50 percent chance that the child will be able to integrate easily into a regular school without having need for special education programs or other services, according to Westcott.
A large concern of Robson's is that families are not able to provide this care for their children because they are unable to pay for it. In states where insurance plans already offer this type of coverage, there is a less than one percent bump in their insurance premium.
""All Sen. Robson is saying is ‘why are we behind in Wisconsin?' It's a very real thing and it deserves time and attention,"" Wescott said.
