Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed into law new rules requiring insurers to cover the screening and therapeutic treatment of autism, making it the 15th state in the U.S. to require such coverage.

Jon S. Corzine

Corzine signed the measure (A-2238/S-1651) into law Aug. 14, requiring coverage for diagnostic and therapeutic services, including any medically necessary occupational, physical and speech therapy.

Corzine said the state has made the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders “a top priority.”

“[The new law] recognizes there must be appropriate resources to treat and care for individuals with autism, and provide their families the support they need,” the governor said in a statement. “By doing so, we enable those affected with autism to function as independent, productive, and empowered individuals and ease the burden of their loved ones.”

Under the new law, insurance companies would be required to provide up to $36,000 annually for medically necessary behavioral early intervention for all patients under the age of 21 with autism and other developmental disabilities. The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance will adjust the maximum benefit beginning Jan. 1, 2012, to reflect inflation according to the consumer price index.

Corzine’s office said of the 15 states addressing autism coverage, New Jersey is the first to include other developmental disabilities along with autism in its legislation.

Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr. (D-Camden), one of the co-sponsors of the bill, said many New Jersey families, already stretching to make financial ends meet,  and “countless families are bankrupting themselves just to give their child the potential for a bright future.”

“This measure offers real and meaningful hope that they will not battle alone,” Roberts said. “Failing to help a child try to overcome the obstacles presented by these disabilities will lead to costlier problems later. Autistic and disabled adults who have not received the proper treatment will leave our families, communities and state with new and more expensive challenges.”

According to the CDC, one in 150 children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.  In New Jersey, it is about 1 in 94, the highest rate in the nation, according to the governor’s office.