Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act

June 28, 2012
By Autism Society

Today the Supreme Court issued its decision on the Affordable Care Act. The decision of the Court is a part of our nation's founding principles of checks and balances among our government institutions.

Regardless of today’s decision, the reality is that the problems faced by individuals living with autism and their families remain unsolved.  We are continuing to struggle to access the services we need.  Never mind that more than 30 states have recently required insurance providers to cover certain autism-related treatments and services. In many of these same states, individuals with autism are denied basic coverage. In fact, with ongoing cutbacks in government funding, more and more of us are using limited funds to pay for therapies, personal assistance or other necessities, and often times we cannot afford basic insurance for preventative care. 

Often, when individuals receive medical coverage, they lack assistance for behavioral treatments, such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which for some individuals can be more necessary to improving outcomes than medical approaches. For those of us more significantly affected by autism, treatment can cost up to $72,000 per year. This cost is difficult for many families, particularly in times of need.

The Autism Society believes all governmental and non-governmental entities must understand that any health-care reform must not preclude individuals with developmental disabilities from life-changing therapies. In addition, for health-care to be effective, autism must be viewed as a whole-body condition that requires medical and non-medical treatments. While we applaud the federal and state continued support of Medicaid and Medicare, we need to do more.