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ROBERTS / VOSS / PRIETO BILL TO REQUIRE COVERAGE OF AUTISM & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY TREATMENTS NOW LAW
By thesterROBERTS / VOSS / PRIETO BILL TO REQUIRE COVERAGE OF AUTISM & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY TREATMENTS NOW LAW
(NEW BRUNSWICK) – Legislation Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, Jr., Assemblyman Vincent Prieto and Assemblywoman Joan Voss sponsored to make New Jersey the 15th state to require health insurers to cover treatments for autism and other developmental disabilities is now law.
“Many New Jersey families already are being stretched to their financial edge – but without health coverage for their loved ones, countless families are bankrupting themselves just to give their child the potential for a bright future,” said Roberts (D-Camden). “This measure offers real and meaningful hope that they will not battle alone.”
Under Speaker Roberts’ leadership, the Legislature has shepherded into law numerous measures to raise awareness about autism and encourage early diagnosis and early intervention.
“Failing to help a child try to overcome the obstacles presented by these disabilities will lead to costlier problems later,” Roberts said. “Autistic and disabled adults who have not received the proper treatment will leave our families, communities and state with new and more expensive challenges.”
A Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study based on research in 14 states found one in every 150 children diagnosed with autism, with New Jersey shaving the highest rate in the country with one in 94.
“Requiring health insurers to cover therapies for autistic children early in their lives ensures they receive the treatments they most need when it will make the greatest impact,” said Prieto (D-Hudson). “Oftentimes these therapies represent a new lease on life for autistic children and their families.”
“Early intervention, including speech, physical and socialization therapy, can make a world of a difference in the lives of young children with autism and other developmental disabilities,” said Voss (D-Bergen) “Early treatment ensures these children learn basic life skills, which can have lifelong impacts, often mitigating some of the challenges faced by many adults with autism.”
The measure (A-2238) received final legislative approval in June, passing the Assembly 74-5 and the Senate 35-0.
“The Legislature and the Governor should be applauded for recognizing this legislation as an incredibly sound and compassionate investment,” Roberts said. “ The greatest cost would be the cost of doing nothing, not only for those trying to breakthrough these disorders and their families, but for the taxpayers of New Jersey.”
Other autism measures signed into law include bills that:
• Established a centralized statewide autism registry. It was sponsored Assemblyman John F. McKeon (D-Essex), Roberts, Assemblyman Nelson Albano (D-Cumberland), and Voss;
• Train teachers in autism awareness. It was sponsored by Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen), Voss, Roberts, now-Sen. Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic), Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) and former Sen. Ellen Karcher (D-Monmouth).
• Improved New Jersey’s system for detecting symptoms of autism in young children. It was sponsored by Assemblymen Herb Conaway, M.D. (D-Burlington/Camden), Roberts, Vainieri Huttle, Assemblyman Louis D. Greenwald (D-Camden), former Assemblyman Michael Panter (D-Monmouth), Weinberg and Karcher.
• Created a new expert panel to study the needs of autistic adults. It was sponsored by Roberts, Voss, Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic), McKeon, Weinberg and Karcher.
• Extended funding for autism medical research and treatment. It was sponsored by Roberts, Voss, Greenwald, Whelan and Weinberg. • Restructured the Governor’s Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism. It was sponsored by Roberts, Voss, Schaer, McKeon, Weinberg and Sen. Joseph F. Vitale (D-Middlesex)
• Established a developmental disabilities awareness program for first responders. It was sponsored by Roberts, Assemblymen Paul Moriarty (D-Gloucester), Frederick Scalera (D-Bergen), Weinberg and Sen. Robert M. Gordon (D-Bergen).
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