Autism Class Action Settlement Approved

Detroit, MI: The federal court in Detroit has approved a landmark class action settlement which mandates that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan shall provide insurance coverage for children with autism for the six year period at issue in the lawsuit.

The settlement calls for Blue Cross to pay for treatment known as Applied Behavioral Analysis, or "ABA," received by autistic children at the Beaumont "GIFT" program between March 2003 and June 2009.

Under the terms of the class action settlement, Blue Cross will fully reimburse insured families for this ABA care whether or not they made a claim with Blue Cross prior to the settlement. On the afternoon of April 13, the court ordered Blue Cross to make these payments within 14 days.

The case is Johns v Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Case No. 08-cv-12272. The attorneys for the families stated that this is a landmark settlement in which Blue Cross acknowledged the efficacy of applied behavioral analysis.