Nevada Legislation

This bill tried to change the sections of the state insurance law about autism coverage in the following ways:

• Clarifies that autism spectrum disorder is defined as it is either in the DSM or ICD
• Requires mandatory coverage for individual plans, not optional coverage
• Removes the age limits for coverage
• Replaces annual maximum of $36,000 for applied behavior analysis with 30 hour per week limit
• Forbids insurers from reviewing a treatment plan more than once a year
• Instructs plans that federal law supersedes these sections if it requires more favorable coverage
• Defines in great detail “behavioral care” and “medically appropriate”
• Lists the following treatments as accepted treatment for autism

– Behavioral care

– Consultation or treatment by a nutritionist or dietitian

– Full-time care in a residential setting that specializes in care for persons with autism spectrum disorders

– Habilitative or rehabilitative care

– Music therapy

– Prescription care

– Psychiatric care

– Psychological care

– Therapeutic care

– Therapy relating to social communication and social skills

 This bill tried to change the sections of the state insurance law about autism coverage so that social communication disorder would be one of the listed conditions in the definition of autism spectrum disorder. The bill also had extensive sections about licensing requirements for “autism behavior interventionists.” These sections are not summarized here because they do not directly apply to insurance coverage.