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Senate concurs with House on autism services bill after insurer agreement
Summary
The Utah Senate concurred in House amendments to SB 57, an autism-services bill negotiated with insurers to expand coverage; sponsors described a year-long negotiation and family testimony highlighted the financial and personal stakes. The bill passed and will return to the House for enrollment.
Senator Shiozawa, sponsor of the first substitute to Senate Bill 57, told the Senate the amended language reflects negotiations with insurance companies that secured benefits for people with autism spectrum disorder. "We obtained agreement with the insurance companies…SelectHealth," Shiozawa said, describing a negotiation the sponsor said represented "the voice of thousands of families in the state of Utah."
Senator Stevens described a family's struggle to pay for care and a child’s progress after receiving treatment, framing the bill as narrowly targeted to ensure coverage. "This is probably one of the most important bills we'll pass during this session," Senator Davis said in explaining his vote, urging attention to long-term supports as coverage expands.
Lawmakers thanked the sponsor and several members noted the bill addresses both clinical access and fiscal concerns raised during committee. After brief floor discussion and expressions of support from multiple senators, the motion to concur carried and the Senate ordered the bill sent back to the House for enrollment. The bill will go forward with the House amendments the Senate accepted.
The sponsor and several members emphasized the bill was revised to address insurer concerns and to preserve bargaining that produced the improved coverage language. No changes to the bill's effective or implementation dates were reported on the floor; fiscal implications were discussed as part of the House amendment process earlier in the day.
The Senate action on SB 57 concludes the chamber’s concurrence consideration of that measure; it will be transmitted to the House for final processing under the enrolled-bill procedure.
