Speaker Richard Asks for More Info On Governor's Autism Proposal Before Fighting to Kill It

Governor Nixon has renewed his call for the legislation mandating autism insurance coverage.  As many Fired Up! readers know, strong autism insurance legislation passed the Senate this year with an overwhelming bipartisan majority, only to be killed at the director of House Speaker Ron Richard. 

In response, the Speaker's office complained they didn't have enough information about the Governor's proposal to fully explain why he would once again fight to kill it -- or at least water it down on behalf of his insurance company friends.

It's unclear what information the Speaker needs. The AP's David Lieb outlined the Governor's straightforward expectations this afternoon:

Nixon said he's not interested in compromising on four key elements. He said the bill must cover both the diagnosis and treatment of childhood autism, provide between $35,000 and $55,000 annually of behavioral services, cannot cap the number of treatment visits, and must bar insurers from terminating coverage solely because of an autism diagnosis.

"This is not about trying to find a bill that every insurance lobbyist in Jefferson City can sign off on," Nixon said. "This is about doing something that is right, correct, proven and needs to get done."

Richard refused to even allow a vote on the bill in April and May, knowing that his own members would join with Democrats to send the legislation to the Governor's desk. Nixon indicated this morning that he would have signed the Senate's bill if Richard had allowed a debate and vote.

As Randy Turner detailed last month, Richard enjoys strong financial support from insurance industry PACs and lobbyists.

Jason Rosenbaum has video of this morning's presser:

No word yet on how the Speaker and House GOP leadership plan to weave their stubborn opposition to commonsense autism insurance legislation into their "Family Values" platform for 2010.