Anniversary of the Act Relative to Insurance Coverage for Autism
Today marks 11 years since ARICA was signed into law at Fenway Park! As I do each year, I’m writing to thank all of you, again, for everything you did to make this happen, and share some reflections.
Our first phone call today was a relatively typical inquiry from the mother of a 2 year old. Her daughter was diagnosed with autism last month, and she just received the report from the clinic. Included in the recommendations was to contact our Center for information about insurance coverage to access treatments. I confirmed that her plan covers the Speech and ABA recommended by the doctor, discussed how she can go about finding providers, and offered general resources and supports as she navigates the new world of autism with her family. But as I started to write this - I realized this “typical” call reflects how far we have come.
It’s the commitment, dedication, advocacy, and support of all of you which made this possible. We at the AIRC continue to be grateful for the honor and privilege to have the “front-row” seats here to witness the profound systemic change, and a sincere thanks to all of you for what you’ve done to create this change, and sustain our work.
Expansion
Over the last few years, our work has expanded to provide insurance-related information and resources for a wide range behavioral health concerns which are helping many individuals and families outside of the autism community. Reflecting this, we are creating the Insurance Resource Center for Autism and Behavioral Health. The Center will operate as two divisions: (1) the AIRC, which will continue its work in supporting the implementation of autism-related health insurance coverage; and (2) the newly formed Behavioral Health Insurance Resource Center (BIRC), which will provide information, training, and technical assistance for consumers, providers, educators, employers and others on issues related to insurance for behavioral health treatments for children and adolescents. We are grateful to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Department of Mental Health for the core funding they are providing to support this expansion.
This expansion allows us to continue to extend the impact of our established work in the autism community, bringing our unique expertise and resources to the larger behavioral health community. Please stay posted for additional information.
Amy Weinstock -Director of the Autism Insurance Resource Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center
