This bill was negotiated by Pennsylvania administration representatives, along with Rep. Goodling. It just so happens that Pennsylvania meets the restrictive criteria mentioned above. Families need their private health insurance to pay for health care. They should not be forced to exhaust their annual benefits for a particular service or worry about exceeding life-time limits in order to access appropriate early intervention services for their child.
Many families already use their insurance to supplement early intervention services.
Moreover, the use of existing health insurance coverage for early intervention services would cause families to incur additional financial burdens due to copayments and deductibles. There is no telling what the impact of this amendment could be. Since Mr. Goodling is the Committee chair, the amendment will carry great weight. Only a strong bipartisan opposition will defeat it. In addition, family advocates have set up a toll-free number to the Capitol Switchboard.