Letters: Autism gap will cost us all

Re “Slipping through the cracks,” July 8

Thank you for this article. While The Times highlighted the fact that 900,000 children on state medical insurance no longer have access to the critical autism therapy known as ABA, it did not mention that in 2014, when the Affordable Care Act takes effect, in California and across the nation, Medi-Cal will grow by some 1 million enrollees. These 1 million Californians will also have no access to ABA.

What does this mean? Thousands of low-income children with autism will not receive a scientifically proven autism therapy that would help them improve. As a result, these children will flood special education programs and potentially require a lifetime of public assistance, costing the state billions.

California’s private insurers are legally required to cover ABA. How can the state hold itself to a lower standard?

Karen Fessel

Lafayette, Calif.

The writer is the founder and executive director of the Autism Health Insurance Project.

ALSO:

Letters: Trapped by Gitmo

Letters: In the wake of Prop. 8

Letters: Californians are taxed enough already