At 10:50 a.m. March 26, 2012, U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard ordered the State of Florida to immediately begin providing coverage of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for children on Florida Medicaid diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. In issuing an initial oral order from the bench late Friday afternoon, Judge Lenard referred to this as “one of the most important cases I have ever heard.” The case was brought on behalf of three autistic Miami children, clients of Monica Vigues-Pitan, Advocacy Director of Legal Services of Greater Miami (LSGMI). According to lead counsel Miriam Harmatz of Florida Legal Services (FLS), “This case will have national impact because, while most states mandate that private insurance companies must cover ABA, most state Medicaid programs do not provide coverage.” The children’s treating physicians explained the extreme disparity between the prognosis of privately insured children with autism, who receive ABA, and those on Medicaid, who do not. Ms. Harmatz, who is one of the state’s leading Medicaid advocates, explained that “Judge Lenard’s order will eliminate this tragic disparity.”
Click here for the full statement from Florida Legal Services
