Guest column: Require insurance companies to treat autistic kids

Autism affects one in 45 children and is a lifelong disability, yet Idaho doesn't require health insurance companies to provide coverage for treatment, writes Lana Gonzales.

There is a kidnapper on the loose and it is stealing our children from us. It alters their mind and bodies, and even worse, we have to watch these kidnapped children suffer right before our eyes. The kidnapper is Autism Spectrum Disorder.

If comparing kidnapping to autism might sound extreme, it's probably because you have not had the experience of losing your child to this disability.

I watched my sweet baby slip away into autism at the age of two. She lost her ability to talk, her ability to regulate herself and quickly became very difficult to understand and manage. Time outside of our home often means long stares, laced with judgment and annoyance. While sympathetic to my situation, healthcare professionals are not always familiar with the necessary and available resources, therapies, and interventions. Let's just be honest, autism is an uncomfortable and scary subject.

Somehow no alarm has been sounded, no tactical special forces have been organized to aggressively tackle this threat. News specials about autism focus on the dark side of the issue: No cure, 1 in 45 children affected, schools are struggling to meet these students' needs, even children wandering away and becoming lost because of this epidemic.

Nationally we have seen many individuals with autism able to go on to live independently, become tax-paying citizens and even revolutionize industries.

Autism affects the way a person's brain processes information. If harnessed and developed through intense, proven interventions, individuals become assets to their communities and to society.

These outcomes are real, with specialized, specific services. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the only evidence-based treatment for autism. Occupational therapy, speech and language pathology as well as physical therapy are vital in developing daily living skills which support individuals into adulthood.

You might think that, like most medically-necessary services, your insurance would cover them. However, Idaho is one of only four states that doesn't have a law requiring insurance companies to cover these services? yet. Since covering these services is optional, most Idaho insurance companies refuse to offer them.

How has our community allowed this to happen?

Right here in Idaho, in every city, every school and every neighborhood, there are families in desperate need for help for their children with autism. Parents are doing the best they can, but it is not enough. They need professional help.

They need your help to support legislation that is being introduced this session which requires insurance companies to provide these critical services.

Now is the time to support the family you know that is lost in the chaos of autism.