Mayor Ron Littlefield, legislators and local leaders will join parents and therapists to celebrate the passing of the Autism Equity Act which unanimously passed in the General Assembly this spring.
The legislation ensures that many more insurance companies will provide children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder the same level of coverage for critical therapies as are provided for other neurological disorders.
“The Autism Equity Act is a key piece of legislation for people with autism and will help ease the financial strain so many families are experiencing,” said Mayor Ron Littlefield.
“I have always supported people with disabilities and their families. The Mayor’s Council on Disability and Go!Fest are two tremendously successful initiatives that celebrate everyone’s unique abilities.”
“I have worked with more than one-hundred children with autism and the number one concern related to receiving treatment was proper diagnosis and the availability of insurance coverage,” said Susan Crisp, therapeutic recreation specialist for the City of Chattanooga. “Most of the families I’ve worked with become financially strapped due to the mountains of medical bills associated with their developmental disability. Having proper insurance coverage may allow even a small luxury like enough cash to rent a movie for the whole family.”
The Tennessee Disability Coalition, the Tennessee Association of Audiologists and Speech/Language Pathologists and the Autism Society of Middle Tennessee will be hosting the reception, Wednesday, Aug. 2, at 4:30 p.m. at the Development Resource Center at 1250 Market St. Awards and recognition will be given to lawmakers and families who showed tremendous leadership in helping to pass the bill.