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Documenting your family member's disability

image of woman, Paula, making a phone call. Accompanying text: Make sure your insurance company knows about your family member's disability. Call the number on your family member's insurance card. Tell the insurance company about your family member's diagnosis. Ask if they need anything in writing to confirm the diagnosis, like a school evaluation or letter from a doctor.

To learn more about the differences in private insurance options, click the button below:

Not all private insurance plans are the same.

Your family member may have a group plan offered through work or another organization, or a privately purchased plan.

image showing difference between Group Plan from an Employer and Privately Purchased Plan. Group Plan from an employer: Since the 2010 Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), a group plan can no longer deny coverage or charge more money because of a pre-existing condition, like a disability. Privately purchased plan: Legally, the insurance company can still deny services related to a disability. But this is happening less and less. A privately purchased plan may be more expensive.

The rules about this are complex! If you have specific questions about your insurance coverage and need help: call Health Care for All at 1-800-272-4232 or the Autism Insurance Resource Center at 1-774-455-4056.

Sources: Health Care for All, Autism Insurance Resource Center, U.S. Centers for Health and Human Services, Healthcare.gov