Legislators in Oklahoma are brewing a showdown on autism legislation.

Democrats want to pass legislation mandating health insurance coverage of the disorder. But the state’s Republicans do not support the insurance legislation and instead want to work on increasing the number of board-certified behavioral analysts in the state.

Last year the state gave families money to use for autism treatment as part of a pilot program. Much of the money went unspent, however, because there were too few professionals in the state trained to provide the needed services.

Now Republicans say the state must boost its supply of service providers. But Democrats argue that the insurance legislation should be the priority, saying professionals will only come to the state if they are assured that families will be able to pay for their services, reports The Oklahoman. To read more click here.

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