About Us
Illinois Autism Insurance Coalition
The Coalition brings together the collective strength of like-minded ABA providers coming together to improve the landscape of private and public reimbursable insurance services for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other conditions, including applied behavior analysis (ABA), for those served in the State of Illinois. Working alongside advocacy organizations and families, as well as our relationships with insurers and government agencies, the Coalition receives feedback and data from around the state. This drives our public policy work.
Our Purpose
Building Parity, Access & Capacity!
Ensure access to prescribed treatments for individuals with autism, developmental disabilities and mental health disorders including applied behavior analysis (ABA), speech therapy and other treatment modalities.
Be a resourcefor health insurance and public systems for autism treatments to consumers, employers, insurance carriers, providers, government, advocates, and educators.
Provide educational training to parents and stakeholders about accessing ABA and other treatments through insurance and public systems.
Collect data from individuals of all ages and all stakeholders of successes and challenges accessing prescribed treatments.
Impact public policy decisions in state regulations, laws, and funding that support building service capacity to meet the autism community needs.
Coalition Leadership
The Coalition Participants have pooled funds together to hire Root Consulting, LLC to implement goals set by the Coalition and manage the Coalition. The Coalition is not a formalized association or legal entity.
Current Initiatives
One of the Coalition’s priorities is working with advocacy groups to ensure access to Medicaid coverage for ABA or applied behavior analysis treatment services. Recently, the Coalition teamed up with Autism Speaks, the Autism Society, and the Illinois Association for Behavior Analysis to advocate for access to care in Medicaid. The Coalition meets monthly with HFS/Illinois Medicaid to work on challenges families and providers face.
Our second priority is engaging providers in a cost survey to gather the direct and indirect costs of delivering ABA in Ohio. In 2023, the Coalition successfully advocated and increased ABA reimbursement rates. Now, in 2025, the cost survey will provide cost data for delivering ABA in Illinois that we can again share with HFS/Medicaid and commercial insurers to advocate for sustainable and adequate reimbursement. Our website contains a complete listing of current Coalition policy initiatives, which is periodically updated to reflect newly added initiatives and the removal of completed ones.
THANK YOU, COALITION PARTICIPANTS!
Thank you to the many wonderful behavioral health provider organizations providing funding to support the Coalition. See Coalition Participants
WHY A COALITION?
After attending the Autism Law Summit for many years and speaking with providers and advocates, Marla Root believed having an entity that is a hub or clearinghouse for access information was needed to support dissemination of information to stakeholders.
ABOUT ROOT CONSULTING, LLC
Marla Root is the principal owner of Root Consulting. Her twenty-one year old son Eli, has severe autism and severe intellectual disability. Marla has been a consumer of services, an administrator for a large, CARF accredited mental health center serving the autism population and is an advocate. The Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities awarded her the 2010 advocate of the year. She also spent time as the Public Policy Chair for the Autism Society of Ohio for many years.
Join the Autism Insurance Coalition Today!
We believe the Coalition provides a compelling opportunity for ABA providers to join our organization and be a part of this thriving community. By becoming a member, you will gain access to our relationships, especially with HFS and IDFPR, educational opportunities, agency navigation expertise, and resources that will support the individuals you serve and providers alike. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, tap into valuable industry insights, and unlock opportunities to collaborate with others experiencing the challenges of securing critical autism services and traversing the associated insurance landscape.
Email help@ilasd.com or Call 614-565-5765 to Get Started