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For advocates wanting insurers to cover some expensive autism treatments, it’s been a long slog. They’ve been pushing lawmakers in the North Carolina General Assembly for years to consider a bill that would compel those insurers to cover behavioral treatments for autism. The first bill was filed in 2009 and all it did was create a committee to study the issue. It took from then until Tuesday of this week for the state Senate to pass a bill that makes it easier for families to afford some of the best behavioral treatments for their children. (Hoban, 4/29)

Just a month ago, the latest attempt to require autism coverage in Georgia insurance policies appeared dead. Autism legislation was stuck in the House Insurance Committee in the waning days of the 2015 General Assembly session. Similar bills that had been proposed in previous years had stalled and ultimately failed. But this time, a compromise between House and Senate leaders led to a reworked insurance bill that added the autism requirement language. (Miller, 4/29)

Georgia Republicans who have long rejected the mandates in President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul managed to find one insurance requirement they could get behind. Gov. Nathan Deal signed legislation Wednesday that requires insurers to provide up to $30,000 a year in coverage for children 6 and under who have been diagnosed with autism. It makes Georgia the nation’s 41st state to require insurers to cover some therapy for kids with autism. (Bluestein, 4/29)