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The cost of Autism

Posted by Jeff Rivenbark

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - There is no way to medically detect it and there's no cure, but one in every 150 children will be diagnosed with Autism.

There is so much we don't know about the disorder.  One thing we do know, Autism puts many families on the brink of financial ruin.

Bob D'Amelio's wife was the first to learn their son, Christopher, was Autistic.

D'Amelio says he and his wife didn't know what to do at first.

"Basically, they just said 'Here's your son back, here's the results and you're on your own.'"

They were on their on in more ways than one because their health insurance wouldn't help pay for Christopher's treatments.

The cost of medicine and behavioral therapy cost upwards of $50,000 per year.

In South Carolina, Lorri Unumb fought for change.  She wrote Ryan's bill at her kitchen table in 2005.

It was named after her son and would require insurance companies to provide up to $50,000 a year for behavioral therapies.

Insurance companies argue the treatments are educational and not medical.  Most companies say it just cost too much for them to pay.

"If you don't provide this treatment to these kids, they're going to cost the state a heck of a lot more money in the long run and then everybody pays for it," Unumb said. 

Ryan's bill became Ryan's law this past July and South Carolina was the eighth state to pass this type of insurance legislation.

The fight is about to start in North Carolina and the new law will be called Christopher's Bill.

"We've had to scale back over the years on some treatments because we couldn't afford it," said D'Amelio.

This is troubling because research shows, more therapy at a young age can lead to improvement and a mainstreamed life which is what any parent would want for their child.

"As a dad, I look one day at a time and as an advocate, I want to be out there raising awareness for him and other children everyday."

Click the red camera icon to watch Anchor Jamie Boll's story which aired on Tuesday, September 30th.