The children of California need your help. SB562 will allow insurance funding so that children with autism can receive the physician-prescribed, medically necessary, evidence-based behavioral health treatment they need to maximize their potential for success in life, and not be limited to one type of treatment since passage of SB946 10 years ago.
Children with Autism manifest their Autism in unique ways and respond to treatment differently. They require treatment tailored to their unique and special conditions, not a "one size fits all" approach. But in California these children have been denied the behavioral health treatment that is right for them, treatment that could assist them in developing into productive California citizens. While some families can pay for treatment that fits their children, most cannot, adding to disparities in access to care. Every year that passes without insurance coverage for these evidence based approaches is a year lost to these children that they will never recover.
SB 562 corrects this problem by allowing trained and qualified professionals already regulated by the State and classified as "mental health professionals" under legislation you signed last year (SB 855) to provide the treatment these children so desperately need, treatment they have been trained to provide.
I cannot urge you strongly enough to sign SB 562California's children and their families will thank you for it.
Sincerely,