Health care coverage: pervasive developmental disorders or autism.

Existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, requires the State Department of Developmental Services to contract with regional centers to provide services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. Existing law defines developmental disability for these purposes to include, among other things, autism. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy to provide coverage for behavioral health treatment for pervasive developmental disorder or autism, and defines "behavioral health treatment" to mean specified services and treatment programs, including treatment provided pursuant to a treatment plan that is prescribed by a qualified autism service provider and administered either by a qualified autism service provider or by a qualified autism service professional or qualified autism service paraprofessional who is supervised as specified. Existing law defines a "qualified autism service provider" to refer to a person who is certified or licensed and a "qualified autism service professional" to refer to a person who meets specified educational, training, and other requirements and is supervised and employed by a qualified autism service provider. Existing law defines a "qualified autism service paraprofessional" to mean an unlicensed and uncertified individual who meets specified educational, training, and other criteria, is supervised by a qualified autism service provider or a qualified autism service professional, and is employed by the qualified autism service provider. Existing law also requires a qualified autism service provider to design, in connection with the treatment plan, an intervention plan that describes, among other information, the parent participation needed to achieve the plan's goals and objectives, as specified. This bill would revise the definition of behavioral health treatment to require the services and treatment programs provided to be based on behavioral, developmental, relationship-based, or other evidence-based models. The bill also would revise the definition of a "qualified autism service professional" to include a registered, certified, or licensed associate or assistant regulated by one of a list of specified professional boards, and supervised by a qualified autism service provider practicing in the associate's or assistant's field of medicine. The bill would revise the training requirements for a qualified autism service paraprofessional by authorizing training to be provided by a qualified autism service provider practicing the evidence-based treatment modality that the qualified autism service paraprofessional will administer. This bill would require the qualified autism service provider to design an intervention plan that includes parent or caregiver participation, when clinically appropriate, that is individualized to the patient, or to develop an alternative plan if a parent or caregiver cannot participate, as specified. The bill would prohibit using the lack of parent or caregiver participation, implementation of an alternative plan, or the setting, location, or time of treatment as a reason to deny or reduce coverage for medically necessary services. Because a willful violation of the bill's provisions by a health care service plan would be a crime, it would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.