Legislators dance with mandate

Oh, the hypocrisy.

Members of Utah’s Republican-dominated Legislature are in a race to bash, subvert, attack in court or get out from under the federal Affordable Care Act, known pejoratively as Obamacare. Yet in an attempt to create health insurance coverage for autism treatment for children — certainly a worthy cause — Rep. Ronda Menlove is championing a bill that would employ some of the same strategies as the president’s signature health care reform.

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Menlove’s SB272 would create a pilot program within the state insurance plan for public employees. It would mandate that the plan cover treatment of autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger’s syndrome. That would include rehabilitation, early intensive behavior therapy, drugs and psychiatric, psychological and behavioral treatment, occupational and speech therapy and medical treatment.

Plan administrators would set minimum standards of coverage and limits on duration, amounts, deductibles and coinsurance similar or identical to coverage for other illnesses. The policy would provide early intensive behavior therapy of at least $50,000 annually for a child who is under 9 years old, and $25,000 annually for a child 9-17 years old.

In other words, Menlove’s bill would mandate autism treatment for children in a basic benefits package. The Affordable Care Act also establishes what will be included in a basic benefits package.

The Tribune has reported that Medicaid funding would help to pay for the autism benefits for low-income children in Menlove’s program, with a roughly 3-1 match of federal funds to state funds. Menlove and other supporters of this bill are not above seeking dirty federal money from Uncle Sugar when it is for a cause they believe in.

By the way, one of the Affordable Care Act’s main mechanisms for expanding health care coverage to Americans who cannot afford it now and do not qualify for Medicaid is to broaden that program to include people with higher incomes.

So, apparently, the Republican doctrine holds that expansion of Medicaid is bad, except when you agree with it. Then it’s good.

We applaud Menlove’s effort to find ways to provide early intervention and care for children with autism. A pilot program in the insurance pool for state employees would be a worthy experiment, helping to gauge costs and outcomes. But there’s no getting around that it would expand a basic health care package and drive up state and federal Medicaid costs. Rather like the Affordable Care Act.