BACKGROUND
HB 569 was filed by lead sponsor Rep. Suzanne Butcher (D-Keene) in December, 2008. However, Connor’s Law is best understood in the context of a longer history.
In June 2007, Governor John Lynch signed into law HB 396, thereby establishing the New Hampshire Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders. The Commission, formed in response to the rapidly growing prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in New Hampshire and nationwide, was charged with examining and making recommendations
regarding the care, treatment, and quality of life for children and adults with ASD and their families.
In the course of their deliberations, the Commission was particularly struck by the tremendous financial impact that ASD has on affected individuals and families and on our society as a whole. A 2007 study by Harvard School of Public Health researcher Michael Ganz, M.S., Ph.D. estimated that for a single individual, the lifetime cost—both direct and indirect—associated with autism is $3.2 million.
“As alarming as these findings are,” the Commission concluded, “it is important to remember that it is within our power to turn things around.” In keeping with current research, the Commission's recommendations placed high priority on intensive early intervention, a strategy that has been shown to not only improve a child’s long term quality of life, but to significantly reduce societal costs.
The Commission also noted that research has increasingly identified ASD as a medical condition associated with unique abnormalities in brain development.
“This, in turn,” they wrote, “raises the question of who will pay for treatment. Private health insurance either does not cover—or covers only a portion of—standard treatment modalities such as speech and language therapy, applied behavior analysis (ABA) and occupational therapy. Schools, which in many cases carry the majority of cost, are quick to point out that special education was never intended to be the provider or the primary payer for what is essentially medical care.”
Public funds alone, the Commission concluded, cannot carry the cost of providing intensive early treatment. “Imagine a balanced and fair approach for funding the care of a child with ASD as a three-legged milking stool," they wrote, invoking an image familiar in many rural NH towns.
"One leg represents public spending for treatment and support, including Medicaid, special education funds, and other government programs; a second leg represents the cost borne by the child’s family both directly and indirectly; and the third leg represents private health insurance." The result -- with only two sturdy legs and a third cut too short -- is inherently unstable.
"It is in the interest of New Hampshire that all health care payers, including private insurers, come to the table to negotiate a more balanced approach to funding the treatment of ASD.”
To Read the Commission's Report, click here.
SEEKING FULL AND FAIR COVERAGE FOR THE TREATMENT OF AUTISM
SPECTRUM DISORDERS IN THE GRANITE STATE
