insurance ?

oandmplus1

I posted recently about our family trying to relocate closer to my family in either VT or NH. I have a job interview that is promising in NH, but we want to make sure DD will be able to get all the same therapy. We have found ABA, OT and SLP providers we plan to check out, but my concern is insurance. The company I would be working for has an insurance plan that does not cover therapy or ABA for Autism, they are not subject to Connor's Law.
This job opportunity and location are otherwise perfect and we have been looking for months without any success.
We are thinking of purchasing insurance for DD that would cover it, but I am not sure where to begin or if that is even an option. DH is still looking for employment so hopefully his insurance program will cover it, but we dont want to rely on that.
I have no idea who to contact or where to start to figure this out.

lite-bright

You could call an insurance broker or two in the new state and ask for help in locating the kind of policy you're looking for. You don't have to buy it, but they'll know what's available. But I'll be honest, I'm not sure they exist. In my state, insurance policies are required to cover autism therapy unless they are a self-insured plan (like ours) or if they are individual plans, or if the employer is based in another state. As you can see, there are plenty of loopholes and availability of insurance for therapies varies wildly from one state to the next.  

When I called a broker to ask about a plan for only my DD1 after dx, they basically said there wasn't a plan that covered autism therapy. Because it's not required, insurance companies who offer individual plans don't cover it, since therapies are very expensive and they can't recoup the cost through premiums. 

It's a shitty catch-22 -- because my DD1 qualifies for a group insurance plan, she doesn't qualify for the state plan that would cover therapies, even though the coverage through our plan for her needs was at first non-existent and is now minimal. The state plan is only available to people who otherwise would have no insurance.  

It sucks, but you may be looking at either staying where you are to maintain coverage, or moving to be closer to family and accepting that you'll have higher OOP costs for therapy. Unless your DH can land a job that fills the gap.