Autism Speaks Applauds Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons for Enacting Autism Insurance Reform Bill

NEW YORK, NY (May 29, 2009) -- Autism Speaks, the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, today joined the Nevada autism community to praise Governor Jim Gibbons for signing into law AB 162, which requires insurance companies to provide coverage of evidence-based, medically necessary autism therapies. Nevada is now the eleventh state in the country to enact comprehensive autism insurance reform.

The Nevada law requires insurers to cover up to $36,000 a year for behavioral treatments and therapies, including Applied Behavior Gov. Jim Gibbons (center), joined by Lorri Unumb (right), Autism Speaks senior policy advisor, and Ralph Toddre (left), commissioner of the Nevada Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders, holds up the newly signed autism insurance reform law.

Analysis (ABA) therapy for children until age eighteen, or age twenty-one if the individual is enrolled in high school. ABA therapy is recognized as an effective, evidence-based treatment for children with autism. The law specifies that there cannot be any limit put on the number of visits to an autism service provider and that the maximum per year benefit will be adjusted annually for inflation.

“The new Nevada law represents another major step in the national effort to secure autism insurance coverage and provide families the help they so desperately need and deserve,” said Elizabeth Emken, Autism Speaks vice president of government relations. “Legislatures across the country are introducing and passing bills that put an end to the discriminatory practices by insurance companies against children with an autism diagnosis. We thank Nevada's legislators and Governor Jim Gibbons for having the courage to put families and their needs first".

In many states, insurers explicitly exclude coverage of these therapies from policies, which places a significant financial burden on families seeking to provide their children with necessary services. Nevada is the third state to pass autism insurance reform this year, and joins ten other states – Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas – that have passed

similar autism insurance reform bills. Colorado and Connecticut each have similar bills awaiting signature by their respective governors.

Assembly Bill 162 was sponsored by Assemblyman James Ohrenschall (D-12) and was helped throughout the process by the thousands of families in Nevada affected by autism.

"I am so excited for Nevada's families who have children with autism,” said Ralph Toddre, Commissioner of the Nevada Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders. “This is the best thing about the American Government - identifying a problem, proposing a solution to those who can fix it and getting it done. Thank you so much to all the families and friends who participated in this herculean effort. It isn't often our families win but they definitely did today."

To learn more about Autism Votes, an initiative of Autism Speaks focused on federal and state legislative advocacy, please visit www.autismvotes.org.

About Autism
Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one in 150 children in the United States, affecting four times as many boys as girls. The prevalence of autism has increased tenfold in the last decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown.

About Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. Autism Speaks funds more than $30 million each year in new autism research, in addition to supporting the Autism Treatment Network, Autism Genetic Resource Exchange, Autism Clinical Trials Network, Autism Tissue Program and a range of other scientific and medical programs. Notable awareness initiatives include the establishment of the annual United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day on April 2 and an award-winning, multi-year national public service advertising campaign with the Ad Council. Autism Speaks' family services efforts include the Autism Video Glossary, a 100 Day Kit for newly-diagnosed families, a School Community Tool Kit and the distribution of community grants to local service providers. Its government relations department, through its Autism Votes initiative, has played a critical role in securing federal legislation to advance the federal government's response to autism, and has successfully advocated for insurance reform to require insurers to cover medically-necessary autism therapies. Each year, Walk Now for Autism Speaks fundraising events are held in more than 70 cities across the country, as well as Canada and the United Kingdom. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit www.autismspeaks.org.

About the Co-Founders
Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Bob Wright is Senior Advisor at Lee Equity Partners and served as vice chairman, General Electric, and chief executive officer of NBC and NBC Universal for more than twenty years. He also serves on the board of directors of the Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation and RAND Corporation. Suzanne Wright has an extensive history of active involvement in community and philanthropic endeavors, mostly directed toward helping children. She serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations and is also Trustee Emeritus of Sarah Lawrence College, her alma mater.