W.Va. autism insurance "fix" heads to full House

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Advocates of clarifying West Virginia's autism insurance coverage law are a step closer to success at the Legislature.

The House Finance Committee endorsed a measure Thursday aimed at fixing the 2011 law.

The House Judiciary Committee had advanced the bill last month. It heads to the full House of Delegates for a vote on passage.

Lawmakers agreed last year to require insurers to cover applied behavioral analysis. This treatment is considered critical for many children diagnosed within the autism spectrum of neurological disorders.

The pending bill makes clear that yearly and monthly caps on insurance benefits apply only to applied behavioral analysis. Insurance companies argue the limits apply to all autism-related treatment. The bill also fixes technical errors that weren't caught when the 2011 law passed.