Connecticut State-Regulated Insurance Coverage

Connecticut requires meaningful coverage for autism under state-regulated plans.

Connecticut’s autism insurance bill, Substitute Senate Bill 301/Public Act 09-115, was enacted in 2009 and became effective January 1, 2010. Insurance bulletins HC-96 and HC-99 were published in 2014 and removed previous caps on coverage.

To which plan type does the STATE autism insurance law apply?

  • Individual Plans, specifically exempt from the ACA (often called Grandfathered Plans) - NO
  • Individual Plans, subject to ACA - YES
  • Fully Insured Large Group Plans - YES
  • Fully Insured Small Group Grandfathered Plans - YES
  • Fully Insured Small Group Non-Grandfathered Plans - YES

What services are covered by the law?

  • Diagnosis
  • Behavioral therapy, including Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Prescription Drugs
  • Psychiatric care and psychological care
  • Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy

For purposes of the law, “behavioral therapy" is defined as “any interactive behavioral therapies derived from evidence-based research, including, but not limited to, applied behavior analysis, cognitive behavioral therapy, or other therapies supported by empirical evidence of the effective treatment of individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.”

Does Connecticut have caps on ABA coverage?

No. The dollar and age caps were removed by an order from the Connecticut Department of Insurance in 2014.

  • Whether or not caps are included in a health insurance plan is specific to each type of plan, and such limitations are required to be disclosed in the plan document. Most often, there is a specific section of the plan that describes the plan’s autism/ABA benefit. A consumer can contact plan representatives to learn where to find autism-related information in the plan document.
  • There are now laws that challenge the validity of the age and dollar cap limitations. These are known as “mental health parity” laws, and they generally apply to services used to treat autism.
  • Mental health parity laws prevent group health plans [and health insurance issuers] that provide mental health or substance-use disorder (MH/SUD) benefits from imposing less favorable limitations on MH/SUD benefits than on medical/surgical benefits. This means that quantitative treatment limits like age and dollar caps are not permitted in most cases. 
    • To learn about the federal mental health parity law, The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA), visit here.
    • To learn about state mental health parity laws, the nonprofit Kennedy Forum sponsors a web-based tool, Parity Track, that provides further details on individual state laws, regulations, pending bills and implementation. (Autism Speaks is not responsible for the contents or opinions contained on third-party websites.)

If you have additional questions, please email advocacy@autismspeaks.org.