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HF5 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to insurance coverage for covered individuals for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder and including applicability provisions.(See HF 330 .)

A bill for an act relating to insurance coverage for covered individuals for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder and including applicability provisions.(See HF 330 .)

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
ANDREWS
Last action
2025-02-24
Official status
Withdrawn. H.J. 418 .
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act relating to insurance coverage for covered individuals for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder and including applicability provisions.(See HF 330 .)

A bill for an act relating to insurance coverage for covered individuals for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder and including applicability provisions.(See HF 330 .)

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act relating to insurance coverage for covered individuals for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder and including applicability provisions.(See HF 330 .)

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-02-24 Iowa Legislature

    Withdrawn. H.J. 418 .

  2. 2025-02-11 Iowa Legislature

    Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 330 .

  3. 2025-02-06 Iowa Legislature

    Committee vote: Yeas, 23. Nays, 0. H.J. 266 .

  4. 2025-02-06 Iowa Legislature

    Committee report, recommending amendment and passage. H.J. 266 .

  5. 2025-01-28 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee recommends passage.

  6. 2025-01-27 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee Meeting: 01/28/2025 3:30PM RM 102.

  7. 2025-01-22 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee: Young, Vondran and Zabner. H.J. 115 .

  8. 2025-01-14 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, referred to Commerce. H.J. 39 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to insurance coverage for covered individuals for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder and including applicability provisions.(See HF 330 .)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
House

File

5

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

5

BY

ANDREWS

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

insurance

coverage

for

covered

individuals

1

for

the

treatment

of

autism

spectrum

disorder

and

including

2

applicability

provisions.

3

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

4

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5

Section

1.

Section

514C.22,

subsection

3,

paragraph

g,

Code

1

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

2

g.

Autistic

disorders

Autism

spectrum

disorder,

as

that

term

3

is

defined

in

section

514C.28,

subsection

2

.

4

Sec.

2.

Section

514C.22,

subsection

4,

Code

2025,

is

amended

5

to

read

as

follows:

6

4.

The

commissioner,

by

rule,

shall

define

the

biologically

7

based

mental

illnesses

identified

in

subsection

3

,

paragraphs

8

“a”

through

“f”

.

Definitions

established

by

the

commissioner

9

shall

be

consistent

with

definitions

provided

in

the

most

10

recent

edition

of

the

American

psychiatric

association’s

11

diagnostic

and

statistical

manual

of

mental

disorders,

as

such

12

definitions

may

be

amended

from

time

to

time.

The

commissioner

13

may

adopt

the

definitions

provided

in

such

manual

by

reference.

14

Sec.

3.

Section

514C.22,

subsection

7,

Code

2025,

is

amended

15

by

adding

the

following

new

paragraph:

16

NEW

PARAGRAPH

.

c.

Notwithstanding

paragraphs

“a”

and

“b”

,

17

a

group

policy,

contract,

or

plan

covered

under

this

section

18

shall

not

impose

an

aggregate

annual

or

lifetime

limit

on

19

biologically

based

mental

illness

coverage

benefits

for

autism

20

spectrum

disorder.

21

Sec.

4.

Section

514C.22,

subsection

8,

unnumbered

paragraph

22

1,

Code

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

23

A

group

policy,

contract,

or

plan

covered

under

this

24

section

shall

at

a

minimum

allow

for

thirty

inpatient

days

25

and

fifty-two

outpatient

visits

annually

,

and

shall

not

26

limit

the

number

of

outpatient

visits

a

covered

individual

27

may

have

with

a

practitioner

for

applied

behavior

analysis

28

under

section

514C.31,

or

with

an

autism

service

provider

for

29

treatment

of

autism

spectrum

disorder

under

section

514C.28

.

30

The

policy,

contract,

or

plan

may

also

include

deductibles,

31

coinsurance,

or

copayments,

provided

the

amounts

and

extent

32

of

such

deductibles,

coinsurance,

or

copayments

applicable

to

33

other

health,

medical,

or

surgical

services

coverage

under

the

34

policy,

contract,

or

plan

are

the

same.

It

is

not

a

violation

35

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5

of

this

section

if

the

policy,

contract,

or

plan

excludes

1

entirely

from

coverage

benefits

for

the

cost

of

providing

the

2

following:

3

Sec.

5.

Section

514C.28,

subsections

1,

3,

and

5,

Code

2025,

4

are

amended

to

read

as

follows:

5

1.

Notwithstanding

the

uniformity

of

treatment

requirements

6

of

section

514C.6

,

a

group

plan

established

pursuant

to

chapter

7

509A

for

employees

of

the

state

providing

for

third-party

8

payment

or

prepayment

of

health,

medical,

and

surgical

coverage

9

benefits

shall

provide

coverage

benefits

to

covered

individuals

10

under

twenty-one

years

of

age

for

the

diagnostic

assessment

11

of

autism

spectrum

disorder

and

for

the

treatment

of

autism

12

spectrum

disorder.

13

3.

Coverage

is

required

pursuant

to

this

section

in

a

14

maximum

benefit

amount

of

not

more

than

thirty-six

thousand

15

dollars

per

year

but

shall

not

be

subject

to

any

limits

on

16

the

number

of

visits

to

a

covered

individual

may

have

with

17

an

autism

service

provider

for

treatment

of

autism

spectrum

18

disorder.

The

commissioner

shall,

on

or

before

April

1

of

19

each

calendar

year,

publish

an

adjustment

to

the

maximum

20

benefit

required

equal

to

the

percentage

change

in

the

United

21

States

department

of

labor

consumer

price

index

for

all

urban

22

consumers

in

the

preceding

year,

and

the

published

adjusted

23

maximum

benefit

shall

be

applicable

to

group

policies,

24

contracts,

or

plans

subject

to

this

section

that

are

issued

25

or

renewed

on

or

after

January

1

of

the

following

calendar

26

year.

Payments

made

under

a

group

plan

subject

to

this

section

27

on

behalf

of

a

covered

individual

for

treatment

of

a

health

28

condition

unrelated

to

or

distinguishable

from

the

individual’s

29

autism

spectrum

disorder

shall

not

be

applied

toward

any

30

maximum

benefit

established

under

this

subsection

.

31

5.

Coverage

required

by

this

section

shall

be

provided

32

in

coordination

with

coverage

required

for

the

treatment

of

33

autistic

disorders

autism

spectrum

disorder

pursuant

to

section

34

514C.22

.

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Sec.

6.

Section

514C.31,

subsection

1,

unnumbered

paragraph

1

1,

Code

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

2

Notwithstanding

the

uniformity

of

treatment

requirements

of

3

section

514C.6

,

a

group

policy,

contract,

or

plan

providing

4

for

third-party

payment

or

prepayment

of

health,

medical,

and

5

surgical

coverage

benefits

shall

provide

coverage

benefits

for

6

applied

behavior

analysis

provided

by

a

practitioner

to

covered

7

individuals

under

nineteen

years

of

age

for

the

treatment

of

8

autism

spectrum

disorder

pursuant

to

a

treatment

plan

if

the

9

policy,

contract,

or

plan

is

either

of

the

following:

10

Sec.

7.

Section

514C.31,

subsection

3,

Code

2025,

is

amended

11

by

striking

the

subsection.

12

Sec.

8.

Section

514C.31,

subsections

4

and

5,

Code

2025,

are

13

amended

to

read

as

follows:

14

4.

Coverage

required

pursuant

to

this

section

may

be

15

subject

to

dollar

limits,

deductibles,

copayments,

or

16

coinsurance

provisions

that

apply

to

other

medical

and

surgical

17

services

under

the

policy,

contract,

or

plan

,

subject

to

the

18

requirements

of

subsection

3

.

19

5.

Coverage

required

pursuant

to

this

section

may

be

20

subject

to

care

management

provisions

of

the

applicable

21

policy,

contract,

or

plan,

including

prior

authorization

,

and

22

prior

approval

,

and

limits

on

the

number

of

visits

a

covered

23

individual

may

make

for

applied

behavior

analysis

.

24

Sec.

9.

APPLICABILITY.

25

1.

The

sections

of

this

Act

amending

section

514C.22

apply

26

to

third-party

payment

provider

policies,

contracts,

and

plans

27

as

specified

in

section

514C.22

that

are

delivered,

issued

28

for

delivery,

continued,

or

renewed

in

this

state

on

or

after

29

January

1,

2026.

30

2.

The

sections

of

this

Act

amending

section

514C.28

apply

31

to

a

group

plan

established

pursuant

to

chapter

509A

for

32

employees

of

the

state

that

are

delivered,

issued

for

delivery,

33

continued,

or

renewed

in

this

state

on

or

after

January

1,

34

2026.

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3.

The

sections

of

this

Act

amending

section

514C.31

1

apply

to

third-party

provider

payment

contracts,

policies,

or

2

plans

specified

in

section

514C.31,

subsection

1,

paragraph

3

“a”,

or

to

plans

established

pursuant

to

chapter

509A

for

4

public

employees

other

than

employees

of

the

state,

that

are

5

delivered,

issued

for

delivery,

continued,

or

renewed

in

this

6

state

on

or

after

January

1,

2026.

7

EXPLANATION

8

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

9

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

10

This

bill

relates

to

insurance

coverage

for

covered

11

individuals

for

the

treatment

of

autism

spectrum

disorder

12

(autism).

13

Under

current

law,

a

group

plan

established

pursuant

to

14

Code

chapter

509A

for

employees

of

the

state

that

provides

15

for

third-party

payment

or

prepayment

of

health,

medical,

and

16

surgical

coverage

benefits

(coverage)

shall

provide

coverage

to

17

covered

individuals

under

21

years

of

age

for

the

diagnostic

18

assessment

and

treatment

of

autism,

and

coverage

is

required

19

in

a

maximum

benefit

amount

of

not

more

than

$36,000

per

year.

20

The

bill

eliminates

the

21-year

maximum

age

limit

and

the

21

maximum

benefit

amount.

22

Under

current

law,

a

group

policy,

contract,

or

plan

23

(policy)

providing

for

third-party

payment

or

prepayment

24

of

health,

medical,

and

surgical

coverage

shall

provide

25

coverage

for

applied

behavior

analysis

(analysis)

provided

26

by

a

practitioner

to

covered

individuals

under

19

years

of

27

age

for

the

treatment

of

autism

pursuant

to

a

treatment

plan

28

if

the

policy

is

either

a

policy

issued

by

a

carrier

to

an

29

employer

who

on

at

least

50

percent

of

the

employer’s

working

30

days

during

the

preceding

calendar

year

employed

more

than

50

31

full-time

equivalent

employees,

or

the

policy

is

established

32

pursuant

to

Code

chapter

509A

for

public

employees

other

than

33

employees

of

the

state.

Under

the

bill,

the

age

restriction

34

is

eliminated.

Current

law

requires

that

the

coverage

for

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analysis

shall

provide

an

annual

maximum

benefit

of

not

less

1

than

$36,000

for

individuals

through

age

six,

$25,000

for

2

individuals

age

7

through

13,

and

$12,500

for

individuals

age

3

14

through

18.

The

bill

eliminates

the

maximum

benefit

amounts

4

and

the

age

categories.

5

The

bill

makes

conforming

changes

to

Code

section

514C.22.

6

The

bill

applies

to

plans

specified

in

the

bill

that

are

7

delivered,

issued

for

delivery,

continued,

or

renewed

in

this

8

state

on

or

after

January

1,

2026.

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