From U.S. News and World Report:

Military parents maintain that the Pentagon’s healthcare system is failing to serve active-duty military families who have children with autism.

It is estimated that 13,243 of the approximately 1.2 million children of active-duty military personnel have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. But only 1,374 are qualified to receive treatment under the extended care arm of the federal healthcare program TRICARE.

The families’ difficulties are compounded by frequent moves that disrupt or end treatment programs, and skyrocketing out-of-pocket costs for expenses not covered by TRICARE. Some families have little choice but to forgo treatment for their children. Officials worry that the pressure is prompting some to leave the military, which could harm military readiness.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 at 7:03 pm and is filed under autism, behavior, therapy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.