Educators and parents of children with autism are being pitted against each other in a pair of proposals on an apparent collision course in the Utah Legislature.
Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Bountiful, is proposing a bill that would require any new health care mandates from the Legislature be extended to public and higher education employees — something which has not been done in the past — and would require the state to pick up the costs of the additional coverage.
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That means big increases in the projected cost of health care mandates, including a proposal pending in the House to require insurance companies to provide treatment to children with autism.
"I think this is a deflective, artificial shield to put up so we don’t have to say that we’re voting against autism and parents," said Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, who said he opposes mandates, but wants his colleagues to have the courage to take a stand.
Weiler said his bill isn’t targeting any specific mandate — there are more than a dozen that have been proposed this session and could be affected by the change. But lawmakers should have the full picture of the cost of health mandates and shouldn’t stick public and higher education with the cost, he said.
"It doesn’t say that health care mandates are bad," he said. "It reflects the fact that health care mandates do increase [costs]."
Weiler also argues that, if there is a good reason to implement a mandate, then teachers and professors should receive the benefit, as well.
Sen. Ben McAdams, D-Salt Lake City, said that "by the state volunteering to throw itself on the grenade" it would increase the cost of health mandates by up to eight times. The ballooning costs would put a stop to any health-insurance reform bills, he said.
Legislative fiscal analysts estimate it would cost nearly $9 million to add autism coverage to the insurance package for state, public- and higher-education workers. Proponents of the coverage say that is several times higher than the cost in larger states that have similar coverage. Twenty-nine states have enacted an autism-coverage mandate.
Sen. Stephen Urquhart, R-St. George, said that every additional education dollar that has to go to health insurance for teachers comes out of the classroom — and pretending it doesn’t amounts to "Enron accounting."
The Utah School Boards Association and Utah School Superintendents Association have endorsed Weiler’s bill. The Utah Education Association and Utah Board of Regents have not taken a position.
"If government is going to mandate something on the producing sector, it had better be prepared to live under that mandate for its own institutions," said Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Eagle Mountain.
The bill got a preliminary OK from the Senate on a 21-8 vote and will be up for final passage, probably later this week.
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