All Roll Calls
Yes: 137 • No: 0
IowaHF 33091st General Assembly (2025–2026)HouseWALLET
A bill for an act relating to insurance coverage for covered individuals for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder and including applicability provisions. (Formerly HF 5.) Effective date: 07/01/2025. Applicability date: 01/01/2026.
Sponsored By: COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE
Signed by Governor
commerce
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Autism behavior therapy loses age caps
Specified private plans and non-state public employee plans must cover practitioner-provided applied behavior analysis for autism under a treatment plan. The law removes the former under-19 age limit and bars dollar and visit-count caps. Plans can still require prior approval and charge deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance that also apply to other medical and surgical care. These rules are separate from the Iowa state employee plan’s autism coverage rules. The law took effect July 1, 2025; these changes apply to plans delivered, issued, continued, or renewed in Iowa starting January 1, 2026.
Broader autism coverage for state employees
Iowa’s state employee health plan must cover autism assessment and treatment at any age, removing the former under-21 limit. The law removes the former $36,000 yearly benefit cap and its annual inflation adjustment. The plan cannot cap autism treatment visits with an autism service provider; coverage coordinates with Iowa’s broader autism coverage rules. Other plan requirements still apply. The law took effect July 1, 2025; these changes apply to plans delivered, issued, continued, or renewed in Iowa starting January 1, 2026.
Stronger autism protections in covered plans
Covered Iowa group plans cannot impose total annual or lifetime dollar caps on autism benefits under the mental illness coverage rules. They must cover at least 30 inpatient days and 52 outpatient visits yearly, without outpatient visit caps for specified behavior therapy and autism-provider treatment. Autism cost-sharing cannot be higher than for other health services, though specified policy exclusions remain allowed. The law replaces “autistic disorders” with “autism spectrum disorder” and aligns mental illness definitions with the latest national diagnostic manual, including the state plan’s autism definition. The law took effect July 1, 2025; these changes apply to plans delivered, issued, continued, or renewed in Iowa starting January 1, 2026.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE
Affiliation unavailable
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
Senate vote • 4/21/2025
Passed Senate
Yes: 45 • No: 0
House vote • 2/20/2025
Passed House
Yes: 92 • No: 0
Actions Timeline
Signed by Governor.
6/11/2025HouseReported correctly enrolled, signed by Speaker and President, and sent to Governor.
5/19/2025HouseMessage from Senate.
4/21/2025HouseImmediate message.
4/21/2025SenatePassed Senate, yeas 45, nays 0.
4/21/2025SenatePlaced on calendar under unfinished business.
4/10/2025SenatePlaced on calendar.
4/2/2025legislatureCommittee report, recommending passage.
4/2/2025SenateSubcommittee recommends passage.
3/12/2025legislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 03/12/2025 2:30PM Senate Lounge.
3/11/2025SenateSubcommittee: Driscoll, Trone Garriott, and Warme.
3/5/2025SenateRead first time, referred to Commerce.
2/24/2025SenateMessage from House.
2/24/2025SenateImmediate message.
2/20/2025HousePassed House, yeas 92, nays 0.
2/20/2025HouseAmendment H-1018 withdrawn.
2/20/2025HouseAmendment H-1018 filed.
2/19/2025HouseIntroduced, placed on calendar.
2/11/2025House
Bill Text
As Introduced
Enrolled
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