Gov. Jay Nixon continues to push autism insurance bill
COLUMBIA — A month ago, Gov. Jay Nixon said he would use all the power of the governor’s office to pass mandatory autism insurance coverage legislation when the General Assembly reconvenes in January.
Today he took his bully pulpit on the road, urging lawmakers to pass a bill similar to one that passed the Senate 29-2 last session with clear, bipartisan support. That bill never came up for a vote in the House, a point Nixon made again this morning at the Thompson Center for Autism in Columbia.
“That bill never came up for a vote,” Nixon said. “Quite frankly, that was just wrong.”
Nixon planned other stops in St. Louis and Kansas City today.
Various lawmakers in both parties have blamed House Speaker Ron Richard, R-Joplin for standing in the way of the bill last session.
Richard, who earlier this summer appointed an interim committee to study autism insurance legislation, said through a spokeswoman that he could not yet offer support or criticism of Nixon’s proposal because he didn’t have enough information.
The spokeswoman criticized Nixon for not giving the speaker’s office enough information about the governor’s proposal.
Nixon said he would support a bill that required coverage of autism spectrum disorders; that provided specific coverage of applied behavioral analysis therapy, that didn’t cap the number of visits on a patient seeking that form of therapy, and that couldn’t be canceled because a patient was diagnosed with autism.
His proposal is roughly similar to the plan that passed the Senate.
Janet Farmer, director of academic programs the Thompson Center, which is funded by the University of Missouri, said that autism is the only one of 12 developmental disorders not being covered by most insurance policies. She credited the applied behavioral analysis therapy with being successful in helping autistic children become more functioning.
Many of the families who use Thompson’s services, Farmer said, struggle to pay the fees.
“The gaps of coverage cause tremendous economic burden,” Farmer said.
Richard has said that he hopes his interim committee comes up with legislation that everybody can support. Nixon challenged that simply isn’t going to happen, and lawmakers should support the bill that passed so overwhelmingly in the Senate last year.
“Let’s not kid ourselves,” Nixon said. “This is not a bill everybody will support. The insurance industry is not going to support this.”
Insurance lobbyists opposed the bill last year because they said a mandate of coverage would increase costs to all consumers.
Nixon’s director of insurance, John Huff, said at the Thompson Center today that such increases will be minor, no more than 1 percent of premium costs, he said.
Thank goodness someone’s pushing this.
My youngest brother was diagnosed with autism at an early age, and is currently re-diagnosed with Asperger’s, a spectrum syndrome. It’s been a struggle the whole way, and he’s made a wonderful, eye-opening transition from a confused kid with a helmet to an educated, functioning adult. He starts school for pre-med later this month. That road was so hard, for him and for the whole family, and even the smallest help would have made the biggest difference in his life.
Counseling and therapy are so important for someone in the autism spectrum to understand the world around them. For those with autism, there’s a very real potential for danger, but there’s also a very real potential for excellence. It’s up to us to choose which colours will show.
Thanks Nixon, glad I voted!
Ridiculous. Why pick and choose which diseases are covered? We need universal health care.
Way to go Gov. Nixon. Sometimes you have to take the bully position to stand up for something that is right!
Exactly. Why pick and choose disorders that are covered? Nixon must know someone with an autistic child.
I wear hearing aids because I have severe hearing loss (not due to excessive noises). I can’t get hearing aid coverage. Hearing aids are prosthesis just as crutches and artificial limbs are, but I have to pay for all of my hearing related expenses out of pocket. How about we pass some legislation to force insurance to cover hearing aids?
This bill is illegal.
1) It is illegal for a board certified behavior analyst who is not a licensed psychologist to perform behavior analysis which is defined as the practice psychology.
2) The Behavior Analyst Certification Board is a Florida company and thus is not beholden to the State of Missouri nor our licensure requirements.
Since there is no licensure, there is no public protection.
Missouri Revised Statutes
Section 337.015 Practice of Psychology, defined
2. A person represents himself as a “psychologist” within the meaning of this chapter when he holds himself out to the public by any title or description of services incorporating the words “psychology”, “psychological”, or “psychologist”, or any term of like import, “psychometry”, “psychometrics”, “psychometrist”, “psychotherapy”, “psychotherapists”, “psychoanalysis”, “psychoanalyst”, or variants thereof or when the person purports to be trained, experienced or an expert in the field of psychology, and offers to render or renders services as defined below to individuals, groups, organizations, or the public for a fee, monetary or otherwise; provided, however, that professional counselors licensed to practice under this chapter, or a physician licensed to practice pursuant to chapter 334, RSMo, who specializes in psychiatry, may use any of such terms except “psychology”, “psychological”, or “psychologist” so long as such is consistent with their respective licensing laws.
3. The “practice of psychology” within the meaning of this chapter is defined as the observation, description, evaluation, interpretation, treatment, and modification of human behavior by the application of psychological principles, methods, and procedures, for the purpose of preventing, treating, or eliminating symptomatic, maladaptive, or undesired behavior and of enhancing interpersonal relationships, work and life adjustment, personal effectiveness, behavioral health, and mental health. The practice of psychology includes, but is not limited to, psychometric or psychological testing and the evaluation or assessment of personal characteristics, such as intelligence, personality, abilities, interests, aptitudes, and neuropsychological functioning; counseling, psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, hypnosis, biofeedback, and behavior analysis and therapy; diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorder or disability in both inpatient and outpatient settings, alcoholism and substance abuse, disorders of habit or conduct, as well as the psychological aspects of physical illness, accident, injury, or disability; psychoeducational evaluation, therapy, remediation, and consultation; and teaching and training of psychological competence. Psychological services may be rendered to individuals, families, groups, and the public. The practice of psychology shall be construed within the meaning of this definition without regard to whether payment is received for services rendered.
4. The application of these principles and methods includes, but is not restricted to: diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and amelioration of adjustment problems and emotional and mental disturbances of individuals and groups; hypnosis; counseling; educational and vocational counseling; personnel selection and management; the evaluation and planning for effective work and learning situations; advertising and market research; and the resolution of interpersonal and social conflicts.
337.065. 1. Any person found guilty of violating any provision of sections 337.010 to 337.090 is guilty of a class A misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished as provided by law.
AutismFamily … Wow, if you are correct, this is a huge issue for Nixon.
Not only is he using his bully pulpit to blast the Speaker of the House, but he’s promoting legislation that doesn’t fit into the statutes?
I’d like to think Nixon’s staff was better prepared for such issues…but if they aren’t, shame on them!
AutismFamily, what makes the legislation illegal? The text you included in your post is a Missouri Statute that defines the practice of Psychology. I don’t see any mention in the article of the Florida group you named. I’m not sure how that group would affect the application of this law, the practice of the Thompson Center or any psychologist practicing in Missouri. Could you elaborate?
To: AutismFamily
Your argument makes no sense. Coverage will only be provided when treatment is prescribed by a licensed physician or psychologist, as is common with other medical treatments. The ABA therapists are the individuals performing the therapy, in the same way that a physical therapist works with an injury victim under the prescription and auspices of an MD. Most insurance plans cover physical therapy when prescribed by an MD, without requiring the therapists to be MD’s themselves.
If statute 337 prevents ABA therapists from providing services without being a “licensed psychologist”, then it seems to me that high school guidance counselors, AA counselors, and even Boy Scout merit badge counselors are illegal unless they are “licensed psychologists”.
Sounds like you have a major bone to pick with ABA and with BABA, which you are not disclosing. The BABA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit (the same status as Goodwill Industries and the Red Cross). Because they are incorporated in Florida, you insinuate that they have some agenda that is contrary to Missouri family’s interests, yet you offer no evidence of this.
Why don’t you reveal your real agenda?
I apologize, in my previous post I referred to the BABA. This should have been BACB, which is the Behavior Analyst Certification Board that AutismFamily referred to. BACB.com
Physical therapists are licensed.
Occupational therapists are licensed.
Professional Counselor’s are licensed.
Clinical Social workers are licensed.
Professional Wrestlers are licensed.
Behavior Analysts are NOT licensed.
http://pr.mo.gov/default.asp
“The division exists to serve and protect the public from incompetency, misconduct, gross negligence, fraud, misrepresentation or dishonesty by providing an accessible, responsible and accountable regulatory system that licenses only qualified professionals by examination and evaluation of minimum competency and enforces standards by implementing legislation and administrative rules.”
So if you have grossly negligent behavior analyst, how is the public protected?
Same reason we have driver’s licenses.