Thursday, July 3, 2008

For Autism, Try Vouchers, Not Mandates

By John LaPlante

Categories: Insurance Regulation, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania

Rather than impose yet another mandate on insurance policies, lawmakers in Pennsylvania might have helped the autistic by creating a school voucher or tax credit program for autistic children.

Writing for the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, Joshua D. Hall says that such a program would help autistic children get a good start it life.

He also offers an explanation for why insurance policies don't offer autism benefits as often as they do. The reason lies with the employment-based nature of our health insurance system, the way that most of us think about what "insurance" should do, and the preferences of employers.