Autism coverage: Too scary for a vote

Conspicuously absent from Friday's final batch of legislating was a widely-supported bill to require insurers to cover treatment for autism. Under the bill, insurance companies would have to cover up to $55,000 annually for "applied behavioral analysis" for children younger than 15.

In their end-of-session wrap, the Star wrote, "The Senate liked a measure to require insurance companies to cover children with autism, but it couldn't get traction in the House." Actually, the bill had considerable traction in the House -- just not with Speaker Ron Richard and Majority Floor Leader Steve Tilley.  The bill enjoyed broad bipartisan support (it passed 29-2 in the Senate), and almost certainly would have passed the House -- so Richard and Tilley refused to let it come up for a vote.

Richard promised to block the bill in early April, and delivered on his promise to put insurance companies ahead of families and children with autism.

Of course, there's no way their financial support from insurance companies had anything to do with the decision.

Family values!