Trib Talk: Paying for autism treatment

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Treatment for autism is expensive and many insurance plans won't cover it.

Last year, Utah lawmakers set up a trial "lottery" where 270 children with autism would be provided treatment through Medicaid. This year, a proposal making its way through the Legislature would make the program permanent.

On Monday at 12:15 p.m. at sltrib.com, Rep. Ronda Menlove, Jon Owen with Utah Autism Coalition, Kelly Atkinson with Utah Insurance Association and Tribune health reporter Kirsten Stewart join Jennifer Napier-Pearce for a live Trib Talk video chat about the autism lottery and the prospect of requiring insurers to cover treatment for the disorder that affects one in 47 Utah kids.

You can join the discussion by sending questions and comments to the hashtag #TribTalk on Twitter and Google+. You can also text comments to (801) 609-8059.

jnpearce@sltrib.com

Twitter: @jnpearce