Withdrawal of INS-15-046-AB, Guidance on Administration of Autism Benefits

The State of New Hampshire Insurance Department 21 South Fruit Street, Suite 14 Concord, NH 03301 David J. Bettencourt Commissioner Keith E. Nyhan Deputy Commissioner Telephone 603-271-2261 • Fax 603-271-1406 • TDD Access: Relay NH 1-800-735-2964 nh.gov/insurance BULLETIN Docket #INS 25-018-AB TO: All New Hampshire Health Carriers and Producers FROM: Commissioner David J. Bettencourt DATE: March 3, 2025 RE: Withdrawal of INS-15-046-AB, Guidance on Administration of Autism Benefits New Hampshire law mandates coverage for specific treatments for individuals with Pervasive Developmental Disorders or autism, as outlined in RSA 417-E:1, III (h). The previous version of RSA 417-E:2 had provisions that capped services at certain monetary levels. However, effective September 23, 2022, the statute was amended to eliminate these caps. The 2022 amendments to RSA 417-E:2 removed the previous provision III, which stated: “The policy, contract, or certificate may limit coverage for applied behavior analysis to $36,000 per year for children ages 0 to 12 and $27,000 for ages 13 to 21. An insurer may not apply payments for coverage unrelated to autism spectrum disorders to any maximum benefit established under this paragraph.” The amendments also redesignated the former provisions IV and V as III and IV, and replaced “shall” with “may” in provision IV. RSA 417-E:2 (LEXIS Notes). As a result of these changes, the Department is withdrawing bulletin INS 15-046- AB, Guidance on Administration of Autism Benefits, and it will no longer be available on the Department’s website. This bulletin should not be relied upon moving forward. The New Hampshire Insurance Department (NHID) is committed to supporting treatment for individuals with autism. For any questions or concerns regarding insurance coverage, please contact the Consumer Services unit of the New Hampshire Insurance Department by email at consumerservices@ins.nh.gov or by telephone at 603-271-2261.