{mosads}The Caring for Military Kids with Autism Act, introduced last June, would require TRICARE to cover behavioral health treatments — including applied behavioral analysis — when prescribed by a physician. Just the cost of early intervention, which has been shown to dramatically increase a child’s IQ, can cost up to $50,000 a year, according to the advocacy and science organization Autism Speaks.
The bill comes amid a mysterious surge in autism over the past decade, Autism Speaks says, only about half of which can be explained by increased awareness and a broadening of the diagnostic criteria.