FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE (April 29, 2019 – Hagåtña): On the Hills of Autism Awareness Month, two bills introduced by Senator Therese M. Terlaje were voted on in today’s legislative session and received unanimous support.

Bill 66-35 (COR) seeks to increase health insurance coverage to a maximum benefit per year of $75,000 for an eligible person up to the age of 15 and a maximum benefit of $25,000 per year for an eligible person who is between the ages of 16 and 21.

Current insurance mandates under Hunter’s Law allows a maximum benefit of $50,000 per year for an eligible person only up to the age of 9, and limits the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder to a $25,000 maximum benefit per year for an eligible person who is between the ages of 9 and 21.

According to the Guam Autism Center and families that testified in support of Bill 66, most children on the spectrum require early intensive behavior intervention at roughly 25 to 40 hours per week and can make tremendous strides with it. The current stipulations only allows for an average of 15 to 17 hours of therapy a week for children zero (0) to nine (9) and merely half of that for those 9 to 21 years of age.

“Although it was a great start and critical to bringing ABA therapy to Guam, the present dollar cap and age restrictions severely limit access to much needed care resulting in sub-optimal treatment and slower, less desirable progress,” stated Dr. Vincent Dueñas of the Hunter Speaks Organization that facilitates the Guam Autism Center.