I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!

I realize it has been a while since there has been an update on the Autism Equity Act, so I wanted to give you several updates & information for the upcoming year:

  • The Autism Equity Act begins taking effect in January of ‘07. However, depending on when your insurance policy renewal date is, the bill won’t go into effect until then. For example, if your company’s renewal date is October, then the insurance company is not required to start “covering” the therapies until the policy is renewed in October of 2007. This was somewhat a sore spot for many of us that worked on the legislation (and all you hard working families across Tennessee!) but be that as it may, this is where we stand. I have been told that some insurance companies are suddenly now covering the therapies, so I would encourage everyone to be educating your insurance companies on the bill and make sure they cover those therapies! This leads into the second update. For more information on the details of the AEA Act check out this article:

AEA - Breaking it Down in PDF

AEA - Breaking it Down in MS Word

  • The Autism Society of Middle Tennessee (http://www.autismmidtenn.org/) will begin collecting stories of experiences with insurance companies in regards to the Autism Equity Act after January 1st. Whether your story is good or bad-they want to hear from you!! If we can have proof that insurance companies are not adequately following the law, then it will be helpful to go back next year and fix those issues. And if you have a positive story-that will also be very important to collect!
  • Disability Days on the Hill 2007 (formally Legislator Awareness Day) will be held on three separate days this year. This is a VERY important event and I would LOVE to have some of our fabulous Autism families participating. This year we are breaking up the event so that we can coordinate meetings with legislators more effectively and that it is worthwhile for all those participating. Each section of the state will have it’s own “day” on the hill (see dates below). Amanda Peltz (w/ the ASMT) will be the lead contact for the Autism community across Tennessee for DDH. If you are interested in being involved or would like additional information, please contact myself or Amanda!

Here are the dates for DDH 07:

February 28-West Tennessee

March 7-Middle Tennessee

March 14-East Tennessee

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I hope everyone’s family has a joyous holiday season!

Courtney Jenkins-Atnip