Roberts, Voss, Prieto on New Law Providing Insurance Coverage of Autism, Developmental Disability Treatments

***MULTIMEDIA PACKAGE***

ROBERTS / VOSS / PRIETO ON NEW LAW PROVIDING INSURANCE COVERAGE OF AUTISM, DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY TREATMENTS

(TRENTON) - Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, Jr. and Assembly members Joan M. Voss and Vincent Prieto today issued a multimedia package on a new law they sponsored to make New Jersey the 15th state to mandate health insurers cover treatments for autism and developmental disabilities.

The bill was signed Aug. 13 by Gov. Jon S. Corzine during a public ceremony at PSE&G Children's Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick.

Under the new law (A-2238) health insurers are required to provide up to $36,000 annually in coverage for screening for autism and other developmental disabilities - as well as any medically necessary occupational, physical and speech therapy - for all patients under 21 years of age.

The multimedia package consists of a video press release on the bill signing, audio of same and a transcript of statements from the sponsors.

The video can be accessed directly via our Web site - www.assemblydems.com - or by clicking here.

The audio file is available upon request.

A transcript of sponsor statements is appended below:

Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, Jr. (D-Camden):

"Today is really the great missing piece that has yet to be confronted - to mandate that health insurers do the right thing.

"The behavioral therapy will be for autistic children because that's frankly what suits their needs best, but this will provide speech and occupational and physical therapy for autistic children and kids with all kinds of developmental disabilities because it's been shown to be very, very effective.

"It's just long overdue and it's absolutely something that they should be doing."

Assemblywoman Joan M. Voss (D-Bergen):

"This is a very personal issue for me. My son has Asperger's syndrome, and so this is a very personal thing for me because I never want other parents to go through what I went through when my son was young."

Assemblyman Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson):

"We heard testimony that some of these folks have poured their mortgages, their other children's college funds, into being able to put these children through therapy."

Speaker Roberts:

"Now that we accomplished this today, with the governor's signature of this bill, we will have taken the final step to show that we really care about New Jerseyans with developmental disabilities who have access to speech, physical and occupational therapy, and New Jerseyans on the autism spectrum who will have the kind of early intervention therapy that can really transform their lives."

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