Is It Time For Universal Autism Insurance?

Wisconsin took another step toward a mandate that would require insurance companies to cover treatment of children with autism, when the Senate passed a bill by a large margin, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The governor supports the bill, but the Assembly does not.

Wisconsin would not be the first state to pass such a law, but it's still a minority of states that offer such protection.

Treating autism can be an expensive, long-term proposition, given that there is no cure. Like other diseases in that category – Lyme disease comes to mind – insurance companies have more to gain from not treating than treating patients. But that doesn't mean the families dealing with the disease have any other way to care for themselves or loved ones.

Autism is increasingly common, which has made many suspect that there is an environmental toxin affecting the brain development of children across the United States. While scientists hunt for a definitive cause (or suite of causes) and a cure, treatment is the only and best option.

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