LANSING, MI (AP)-- A fund created by Michigan lawmakers just three years ago to pay for autism health coverage is running dry.
A state official, Penny Wright, told lawmakers Tuesday that the fund should be depleted by the end of November. It's intended to reimburse insurers for claims related to autism.
MLive.com reports that the fund was initially staked with $15 million but reimbursements were slow as insurers took time to get familiar with the program. Lawmakers, in turn, cut funding and spent some money on training medical professionals in autism treatment.
Dominick Pallone, deputy director of the Michigan Association of Health Plans, calls it a raid.
Representative Chris Afendoulis of the Grand Rapids area says lawmakers believed the money would last through next March.
