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What: Are you concerned about your insurance rates?  MT Insurance Commissioner Monica J. Lindeen will be in your town to help Commissioner Lindeen and her staff will be hosting a public meeting about the benefits of insurance rate regulation and additional information about health insurance rates and options that could be available through proposed 2011 legislation.  Consumer protection education materials will be available and consumer advocacy groups such as SEIU, AARP, ACS-CAN will be on site offering other assistance. The Montana Insurance Department’s Policyholder Services Division will be on site to file your insurance complaints. When: Public Meeting and Staff Services - Wednesday, December 8th at 5:30pm Staff Services - Thursday, December 9th from 10am to 5pm Where: December 8th – Billings Clinic Lower Level, Conference Rooms 1 & 2 December 9th – Billings Clinic Lower Level, Conference Room 5

Top Things to Know for Families with ChildrenYouTube embedded video: http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/7BSJmEggpnYInsurance companies can no longer impose lifetime dollar limits on essential coverage limitsJob-based health plans and new individual plans are no longer allowed to deny or exclude coverage for your children (under age 19) based on a pre-existing condition, including a disability. Starting in 2014, these same plans won't be allowed to deny or exclude anyone or charge more for a pre-existing condition including a disability.Parents have new options to cover their children. If your children are under age 26, you can generally insure them if your policy allows for dependent coverage. The only exception is if you have an existing job-based plan, and your children can get their own job-based coverage.An Affordable Insurance Exchange is a new marketplace where individuals and small businesses can buy affordable health benefit plans. Exchanges will offer you a choice of plans that meet certain benefits and cost standards. Starting in 2014, members of Congress will be getting their health care insurance through Exchanges, and you will be able buy your insurance through Exchanges, too.Pregnancy and newborn care, along with vision and dental coverage for children, will be covered in all Exchange plans and new plans sold to individuals and small businesses, starting in 2014.In 2014, if your income is less than the equivalent of about $88,000 for a family of four today, and your job doesn’t offer affordable coverage, you may get tax credits to help pay for insurance.

HELENA, Mont. – Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Monica J. Lindeen today announced her office's new guide to health insurance, an everyday handbook for common insurance questions and problems.

If you currently don’t have insurance that pays for autism treatment, you may live in one of the 27 states that is now offering that coverage through its state exchange, and you may qualify for federal subsidies to reduce the costs of that insurance.

At least 15 states mandate some type of insurance coverage for autism treatments. Now an advocacy group is offering a set of frequently asked questions breaking down the basics of each state’s law. The fact sheets created by Autism Speaks’ lobbying initiative Autism Votes and the George Washington University Law School offer a plain English guide to what’s covered by autism insurance legislation in each state.

Health insurance can be an invaluable resource for families with children with autism to help make the often high-cost and high-frequency treatments for their child more affordable.  However, making sure that services and providers are covered can be confusing and time-consuming.  Below are some tips for how to make the process more manageable and to maximize coverage.

This knowledge path about child and adolescent health insurance and access to care has been compiled by the Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University. It offers a selection of current, high-quality resources that analyze data, describe effective programs, and report on policy and research aimed at advancing health coverage and improving health care access for children and adolescents. Emphasis is placed on Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Separate sections present resources for professionals (health professionals, program administrators, policymakers, and researchers) and for families. A special topics section presents resources that address health reform, outreach and enrollment, and school-based and school-linked care. This knowledge path will be updated periodically.

The health care bill emerging from a key Senate committee now includes expanded independent living options and autism insurance coverage, both of which are good news for people with disabilities, advocates say. The Senate finance committee agreed last week to include an amendment mandating insurance coverage for behavior treatments used with those who have autism. Similar legislation has passed in many states, but advocates say a federal mandate is key.

A series of changes sparked by the health care law passed earlier this year will begin to take hold later this week, increasing access for individuals with disabilities. Starting Thursday, insurers will no longer be able to deny coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. Lifetime coverage limits will also largely disappear. And, it will become harder for insurance companies to cancel coverage or deny claims. At the same time, insurance plans will be required to include certain preventive services such as vaccinations at no cost. What’s more, kids will be able to stay on their parents’ insurance plans until they turn 26.

Washington, DC (April 2, 2010) – Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, today joined with grassroots advocates to celebrate the passage of three more state autism insurance reform bills this week in Iowa, Kansas, and Kentucky. The effort to end autism insurance discrimination nationwide has gained new momentum with these recent victories, combined with President Obama’s enactment this week of the Health Care Education and Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010, which contains a provision including behavioral health treatment as part of the essential benefits package required in certain health plans.

In particular for families of children with disabilities, Thursday's Supreme Court ruling upholding most of the Affordable Care Act may come as a huge relief. Other government health insurance programs, including Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, have filled some of the gaps in health insurance coverage for people with disabilities before the health care law, but they didn't go far enough.

As a parent of a child with special needs, I understand firsthand the financial struggles that come with the job.  When I discovered the iPad and the benefits it could have for my son, it became my mission to find a way to provide one for him.  This is a simplified version of the steps I took in getting my iPad covered by insurance, and it is my hope that others can benefit from this information. 

Autism advocates celebrated what they thought was a major victory when President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act in 2010: They expected the law to require all insurance companies to cover pricey, potentially lifelong treatments for those with the incurable condition. But instead of creating a national standard for autism coverage, the administration bowed to political pressure from states and insurers and left it to states to define, within certain parameters, the "essential benefits" that insurance companies must provide.

WASHINGTON, DC (October 10, 2013) -- Autism Speaks today issued autism-specific resources to help families understand the Affordable Care Act and the new changes that will affect health insurance coverage, beginning in 2014. These resources are a prelude to the “Autism Speaks Insurance Link,” a new interactive web tool Autism Speaks will unveil shortly to help families determine whether they are eligible for autism benefits under their current coverage.