JEFFERSON CITY—The Missouri Department of Insurance released a report last week showing the state’s autism insurance reform continues to benefit families affected by autism. The 2010 law, whose passage Senator Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, fought for years to secure, required health insurance carriers to cover the treatment and diagnosis of children on the autism spectrum.

“Passing autism insurance reform was a very personal issue for me. I’d seen countless families across the state suffer because their health carriers wouldn’t cover the treatment their children truly needed to reach their full potential, and I knew that it was a problem that had to be addressed,” said Sen. Schmitt. “Now, with this report, we have definitive proof of how many families this measure has helped. I was proud to fight to get this bill passed, and I’m grateful that so many families in our state now have access to the care their children need.”

According to the report, more than 1.6 million Missourians are covered by a health plan that offers coverage for autism therapy, including applied behavioral analysis. The report also found the law has had a minimal impact on health care costs in the state. Other noteworthy findings included 183 percent jump in demand for applied behavior analysis, with 187 licenses issued for behavior analysts and assistant behavior analysts in the state since the law took effect.

In 2009, Sen. Schmitt sponsored legislation that would have required health carriers to provide coverage for the treatment and diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder of patients under 10 who fall on the autism spectrum, including applied behavioral therapy. The bill received overwhelming support in the Senate, but the session ended before the House could take action on the legislation.

Senator Schmitt, along with Sen. Scott Rupp, R-Wentzville, spent the following interim building grassroots support for the measure through numerous rallies held across the state. Their work paid off in 2010, when the General Assembly passed and the governor signed the Autism Insurance Reform bill, allowing children on the autism spectrum throughout Missouri to receive the treatment they need to lead rich, full lives.