Legislation that would require insurers to cover autism treatments unfairly singles out one condition, says a coalition that wants coverage for all mental health issues.Gov. Rick Snyder, who backs the autism legislation, and lawmakers are being urged today to adopt a state law that would improve insurance coverage for all neuropsychiatric disorders, including mental illness, addiction, autism and developmental disorders.
“Autism certainly ought to be covered. That’s not the argument,” said Michael Reagan, external relations officer of Cherry Street Health Services in Grand Rapids. “There are other neuropsychiatric disorders that can be just as debilitating and cause just as much of a problem as autism.”
“The governor and Senate leaders have announced a course that is discriminatory, stigmatizing, and problematic for the state,” said Mark Reinstein, president of the Mental Health Association in Michigan. He said the coalition supports a bill introduced by state Sen. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, which assures equal coverage for all neuropsychiatric disorders when employers choose to include behavioral health coverage in their policies.
Michigan is one of only seven states that does not have parity legislation requiring insurers to provide the same coverage for mental disorders as for physical illness, says Michigan Partners for Parity, a coalition of 60 organizations.
www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/02/all_mental_health_disorders_sh.html
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