—First meeting to take place Sunday, October 11—
—Guest speaker will
discuss health insurance and the new autism insurance reform law—
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ (October 2, 2009) – The Children’s
Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital will host a new support group for
families of children with autism—Restoring Hope in Autism Family Support Group.
The group will meet the second Sunday of each month, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., in
the Sister Marie de Pazzi Conference Center at Saint Peter’s University
Hospital, 254 Easton Avenue, New Brunswick. Child care will be available during
the meetings. The group will be led by Barbie Zimmerman-Bier, M.D., chief of
Developmental Pediatrics at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s, and
Genevieve Kumapley, Pharm.D., clinical pharmacist at Saint Peter’s and founder
of the group.
The first meeting will take place Sunday, October 11.
Guest speaker Jodi F. Bouer, Esq., an insurance lawyer and advocate for
children, will explain the New Jersey Autism Insurance Reform Bill and what it
means for families. The new law, which was signed by Gov. Jon Corzine on August
13, requires insurers to cover treatments, including speech, occupational and
behavioral therapies, for children up to age 21 who have autism or other
developmental disabilities. New Jersey has the highest rate of autism in the
country, with one in 94 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, and
is the 15th state to enact such insurance reform. Ms. Bouer will give parents
practical tips on:
- What the new insurance bill really means and how you can use it to obtain
the maximum amount of health insurance coverage for your child
- How to use the New Jersey Mental Health Parity Law to obtain the maximum
amount of health insurance coverage for your child
- How to obtain health insurance coverage for your child, even though New
Jersey state law may not apply to your insurance policy
Jodi Bouer specializes in helping families of children with disabilities and medical
conditions obtain health insurance coverage. She has worked as an insurance
litigator for top New Jersey law firms and insurance companies for more than 10
years and has taught insurance law at Seton Hall Law School. She became
interested in counseling and representing insureds after successfully helping a
family member and a close friend with health insurance coverage issues.
Restoring Hope in Autism Family Support Group is sponsored by My GOAL
Inc. (My Gateway to Overcoming Autism in Life Inc.), a non-profit organization
that helps families with limited economic resources access therapies, programs
and information about autism spectrum disorders. For more information, please
call 877-886-9462, or visit www.mygoalautism.org