Missouri Legislature Approves Autism Insurance Mandate

Missouri is poised to become the 20th state to require insurers to cover treatment for autism under a bill the Legislature passed and sent to Gov. Jay Nixon on Wednesday.

The measure, a compromise between activists and insurers, would require state-regulated insurance companies to cover up to $40,000 a year in therapies for children with autism, up to age 18. The cap would be adjusted for inflation every three years.

The bill covers only state-regulated insurance plans, which make up about 40 percent of the insurance market. Larger companies' plans often are self-funded, which puts them under federal regulation and exempt from the state mandate.

The bill is HB1311, passed the House on a vote of 144-16, and the Senate followed suit, 27-6.

Under the bill, small businesses also could seek exemptions from the autism mandate, if they could prove their premiums rose at least 2.5 percent in a year because of the coverage.