Regarding their Ruling on the Affordable Care Act

(Long Island, NY) Autism Speaks issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding the constitutionality of the 2010 Affordable Care Act:
“The need for people with autism to get good quality care is Autism Speaks’ first priority. Today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act provides clarity to our efforts to achieve that mission. It should be noted that the decision does not affect the autism insurance reform laws enacted by 31 states.

“The Affordable Care Act requires all states to establish a set of 10 ‘essential health benefits,’ one of which is ‘Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment.’ Congress specifically added ‘including behavioral health treatment’ to address autism therapies, such as Applied Behavior Analysis.

“For the past several months, Autism Speaks has raised concerns with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is overseeing the implementation of the ACA, that the requirement for behavioral health treatment coverage is not being pursued. Congress required such treatment be included as an essential health benefit and the U.S. Supreme Court has held the act constitutional. It is now the obligation of HHS to respect the intent of Congress by insisting all states include behavioral health treatment, such as ABA for autism.”