autism and insurance coverage..

[groundhogy]

So...my little daughter, almost three, hasnt been formally diagnosed with autism.
I am thinking of going back to work (yeah, im old) to get some good insurance coverage that will cover the expensive ABA therapy that may be able to help her.

Should I strategically NOT get her screened/diagnosed for autism until after I get insurance?

Anyone know the ins and outs of the insurance buisness?

Im not talking about obamacare as I will not likely be in one of those policies. Im talking about policies in larger corporations.

thanks!
groundhogy

 

[Rayner]

Now I don't know your daughter, but a question I that needs to be considered is how beneficial ABA therapy will be to your daughter. There's no point buying coverage that covers a particular form of therapy, that may not even be the right course of action for your daughter. I think if you feel that your daughter sits somewhere on the autism spectrum and needs (for a lack of a better word on my part) intervention, she should be diagnosed first by a competently trained professional who should be able to advise you on the best course of action for your daughter. Then I think you should pick out an insurance plan that fits that course of action. With no disrespect intended or implied ABA therapy is pretty criticized/controversial in the autism community, and that may not be the best choice for your daughter.

So...my little daughter, almost three, hasnt been formally diagnosed with autism.
I am thinking of going back to work (yeah, im old) to get some good insurance coverage that will cover the expensive ABA therapy that may be able to help her.

Should I strategically NOT get her screened/diagnosed for autism until after I get insurance?

Anyone know the ins and outs of the insurance buisness?

Im not talking about obamacare as I will not likely be in one of those policies. Im talking about policies in larger corporations.

thanks!
groundhogy

 

[Progster]

I think you should check out some of the other threads on this forum made by parents wanting ABA therapy for their kids, to see what autistic people really think about ABA therapy.
ABA Therapy?
Is this age appropriate discipline.
In search of free ABS therapy...

I see that this last thread was started by you, obviously, the members' accounts of trauma caused by this therapy were not enough to convince you, and you felt it necessary to create yet another thread on the topic

 

[Judge]

Hmm, that's a good question and one I don't recall ever being raised before. I think @Judge has something to do with insurance, so he might be able to offer some insight. I'm sure he'll weigh in when he sees this.

Not really. I was a property and casualty insurance underwriter. Had nothing to do with health insurance.

Though just looking online it appears that at least 46 states and the District of Columbia require some degree of coverage for autism services. Terms that may or may not be somewhat independent of the "Affordable" Care Act.

This link seems to provide more of the particulars in terms of policy limits relative to issues like diagnosis and behavioral therapy depending on the state in question.

http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/autism-and-insurance-coverage-state-laws.aspx

 

[tlc]

Don't know about autism, but it seems with anything else and insurance, if you find out before, they will consider it a pre-existing condition and have a reason to deny coverage. So if you have the choice, I'd wait until some time afterwards. They probably have a specific time period that must pass before a diagnosis, you might have to look it up, I wouldn't just personally ask and set off any flags. Like the cancer plan for AFLAC is 30 days last I knew.

 

[groundhogy]

Thanks Judge and everyone for the great information.
I will study that link on the states insurance.

 

[groundhogy]

Rayner and Progster,
THanks for your responses. You seem to feel that ABA has little value.
From what I am reading, ABA, with all its pluses and minuses, is one of the only proven techniques to move a child out of its difficulties. I will try to aquire this therapy for my child. She is three, she has a very limited time window where we might have a chance to bump her trajectory. If I wait, the opportunity will be gone. Of course, I will watch carefully, if she does not have positive results with this therapy, I will go to the next most promising therapy.
gh

 

[Mary Anne]

So...my little daughter, almost three, hasnt been formally diagnosed with autism.
I am thinking of going back to work (yeah, im old) to get some good insurance coverage that will cover the expensive ABA therapy that may be able to help her.

Should I strategically NOT get her screened/diagnosed for autism until after I get insurance?

Anyone know the ins and outs of the insurance buisness?

Im not talking about obamacare as I will not likely be in one of those policies. Im talking about policies in larger corporations.

thanks!
groundhogy

What is “ABA?” Sorry if I have asked this before. My memory is not great anymore, and I am currently suffering with excruciating back pain.

I just found out that the clinical testing for autism for either adult OR child of any age starts at $3000 and can easily be more (At least in the Chicago region where I am from) . That’s a lot of money, so if you get insurance....make sure it is Blue Cross PPO. Even my full time work insurance will not cover the testing because it’s not the highest quality insurance! I would think you would want to wait until after you get insurance, because it’s oh so expensive. Then your co-pay would be much more reasonable.

 

[Rayner]

before acquiring ABA therapy or any other intervention for your daughter, it may be more beneficial to have her diagnosed first. Once she has been diagnosed, a professional diagnostician could assess intervention would be the most appropriate for your daughter.

Rayner and Progster,
THanks for your responses. You seem to feel that ABA has little value.
From what I am reading, ABA, with all its pluses and minuses, is one of the only proven techniques to move a child out of its difficulties. I will try to acquire this therapy for my child. She is three, she has a very limited time window where we might have a chance to bump her trajectory. If I wait, the opportunity will be gone. Of course, I will watch carefully, if she does not have positive results with this therapy, I will go to the next most promising therapy.
gh