If the bill is passed, policies would also include the cost of psychiatric services. These costs would have to be paid until the child is 21-years old.
The governor will use his power to amend bills approved by the state legislature to change the language of House Bill 4255, which requires public employee health plans to cover preventative physical therapy treatments for multiple sclerosis. The new amendment will add the autism coverage language from Senate Bill 1900.
The rewritten bill is expected to go before the House of Representatives this week.
Currently, only people in large group insurance policies (50 or more beneficiaries) can get coverage for children with autism.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every 150 children in the U.S. suffers from autism and more than 25,000 children in Illinois suffer from the disease. Children who do not receive appropriate intervention have a less than 2 percent chance of living a normal life.
Autism is a brain development disorder that impairs social interaction and communication, and causes restricted and repetitive behavior, all starting before a child is three years old.
