Emerald Coast Autism Society is

pleased to support H.R. 6930

Representatives Moran and Miller Introduce Legislation to Help Military Retirees Affected by Autism
Thursday, September 25, 2008
By: Carin Yavorcik

Medically necessary therapy would no longer be excluded from coverage

Autism Society of America president and CEO Lee Grossman joined Representatives Jim Moran (D-VA) and Jeff Miller (R-FL) last week as they announced new bipartisan legislation that would help military retirees get health-care coverage for autism therapy at a Capitol Hill press conference.

“The Autism Society of America strongly supports H.R. 6930, the Military Family Autism Equality Act, which would provide quality care to families that have made tremendous sacrifices for our country,” said Grossman. “It also sets an example for insurance companies in the private sector, an important step toward getting all families and individuals affected by autism the appropriate, medically necessary care they need.”

Although autism is treatable, medically necessary treatment comes at great expense and is often not covered by insurance.

“Caring for an autistic child is expensive,” said Rep. Moran. “Military families already stretched thin by the high costs associated with the disease and long deployments overseas are often left with a choice no parent wants to face: provide expensive treatments for their child or keep their family clothed and fed. The ‘Military Family Autism Equality Act’ would eliminate that painful decision, making autism care available for all military families, active or retired.”

As a way to support military families affected by autism, the Department of Defense (DoD) introduced the Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) program to offer coverage for Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), a treatment for the symptoms of autism. ABA therapy has been shown to be effective in reducing the $3.2 million estimated cost of lifetime care by two-thirds, according to a Harvard School of Public Health report. The ECHO benefit provides up to $2,500 per month, with a maximum of $30,000 per year for this important therapy.

Unfortunately, by law, the ECHO benefit is not made available to military retirees. This policy leaves approximately 8,800 children with autism of military retirees without access to needed care. The legislation announced last week, the Military Family Autism Equality Act, would provide our nation’s military retirees with the exact same ECHO coverage for their dependent children.

Rep. Jeff Miller stated, “This bipartisan bill to extend needed medical coverage for children of military retirees with autism is long overdue and I’m pleased Congressman Moran and I were able to address this issue together.”

We need your help to get this important legislation passed. Send a letter to your representative asking him or her to cosponsor H.R. 6930, the Military Family Autism Equality Act.