Benge Outlines GOP Autism Proposal

Republican House leaders today unveiled a proposal that would increase the number of therapists serving children with autism and help families access care for children with the disorder.

The proposal calls for enactment of a licensing process for national Board Certified Behavioral Analysts and enhancement of existing state programs that would train doctors to diagnose and treat autism.

But the chief legislative sponsor of a bill to end what he calls insurance discrimination against children with autism said the House GOP plan “falls short” of what is needed.

“Their plan is a step in the right direction, but it is only one step,” said Senator Jay Paul Gumm, a Democrat from Durant who is pushing for passage of “Nick’s Law.”

“Without some kind of private insurance component, the House’s proposal will fall woefully short of dealing with the epidemic of autism.”

The lawmaker said the foundation on which a comprehensive strategy to help children with autism must include insurance coverage. Such coverage, which would be required under “Nick’s Law,” allows parents to afford the advanced therapies. Further, bills like Nick’s Law in other states have been proven to be the key to creating a demand, attracting therapists to the state.

Benge said, “By increasing the number of providers, our proposal will allow market forces to alleviate the costs of autism services and increase access to care. Currently, there is a huge imbalance between supply and demand. We have only a few true providers in Oklahoma, but potentially thousands of children needing services.”

During a legislative study conducted in 2008, lawmakers learned that a shortage of trained providers has made it difficult for families to obtain autism services even when they have state assistance.

When a recent state pilot program provided families $12,000 a year to obtain autism-related services, much of the money went unspent because there were not enough professionals trained to work with children with autism.

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