NEW YORK, N.Y. (June 7, 2012) – Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization, today announced a partnership with MedClaims Liaison (“MCL”), a leading national patient advocacy company with specialized expertise in behavioral health claims, to help families affected by autism better manage the complex health insurance reimbursement process and mitigate high out-of-pocket costs for autism therapies. The objective of the partnership is to provide improved financial outcomes and greater accessibility to services for families.
MCL manages the health insurance claims process on behalf of families from the initial claims submission through the appeals of denied claims by the insurance carrier. MCL, which has a substantial and growing national client base and a network of autism service providers, offers a comprehensive and confidential solution to ensure families receive the entirety of their health insurance benefits while the team of experts at MCL does the work.
Under the terms of the partnership, the Autism Speaks community will have special access to MCL’s specialists for free consultations and will be eligible for preferred pricing on MCL’s membership program. Autism Speaks will be providing visibility to MCL as a valuable resource and directing interested visitors to MCL’s customized promotion page for Autism Speaks. MCL will donate 10% of all revenues from these memberships back to Autism Speaks.
“Navigating the bureaucracy of health insurance plans to obtain maximum reimbursement for prescribed treatments is typically a daunting and time-consuming task,” said Peter Bell, executive vice president of Programs and Services at Autism Speaks. “This important partnership with MCL will help families to take advantage of their rightful insurance coverage while MCL’s unique approach manages the complex process.”
“We are committed to reinforcing the impact of critical insurance reform legislation that Autism Speaks has helped to advance,” said Mitchell D. Kaye, CEO of MCL. “MCL is proud to be partnered with Autism Speaks and is committed to making a lasting and positive impact on the autism community.”
Earlier this year, Autism Speaks and MCL released a survey that revealed key insurance reimbursement challenges facing families seeking autism care. The survey found that families are confused, frustrated and require more services than they are currently receiving. Nearly 9 out of 10 respondents said they would seek more services if they could receive higher reimbursements.
About Autism
Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders – autism spectrum disorders – caused by a combination of genes and environmental influences. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by social and behavioral challenges, as well as repetitive behaviors. An estimated 1 in 88 children in the U.S. is on the autism spectrum – a 1000 percent increase in the past 40 years that is only partly explained by improved diagnosis.
About Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization. It is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Mr. Wright is the former vice chairman of General Electric and chief executive officer of NBC and NBC Universal. Since its inception, Autism Speaks has committed over $180 million to research and developing innovative resources for families. Each year Walk Now for Autism Speaks events are held in more than 95 cities across North America. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit www.autismspeaks.org.
About MedClaims Liaison, LLC
Founded in 2009, MCL is a national patient advocacy business that ensures its Members are accurately billed by their providers and properly reimbursed by their insurance carriers so they get the most out of their healthcare benefits. MCL’s experts navigate the system, persisting until its Members get back all the money to which they are entitled. While MCL’s team has delivered positive results for a broad range of insurance issues, MCL has a specialized focus on reimbursements for therapies and treatments related to autism, addiction and cancer. To learn more about MCL, please visit www.medclaimsliaison.com.
