Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said Tuesday that he plans to offer amendments to a bill that would extend insurance coverage to autistic children between the ages of 2 and 6.
He said he was “very sympathetic” to the plight of people with autistic children, and acknowledged that the costs of attending to their needs without insurance are significant.
“I’m also concerned about more unfunded mandates on business and on individuals,” McDonnell said on WTOP’s “Ask the Governor” program, pointing out that the new federal health care law will cost Virginia an estimated $2 billion over the next 15 years.
“We have talked to a number of the proponents and are looking at a series of amendments that we’ll be offering tomorrow on that bill and hopefully be accepted by the General Assembly,” he said.
The measure would cap annual coverage at $35,000 and apply to public employees but not small businesses. McDonnell has faced significant lobbying both from proponents of the measure, who have been pushing for coverage for a decade, and business groups who oppose it.
He has until midnight Tuesday to act on legislation approved by the General Assembly. The legislature will reconvene April 6 to consider the governor’s suggestions.
McDonnell has already vetoed a measure that would require 150 minutes of physical education per week for children in grades K-8 by 2014.
“We’ll have about 80 amendments this year,” he said. “I try to work with the legislature and get a bill into a posture that I can support it. … There’s a couple others that I think are probably just unfixable and too bureaucratic and overburdensome on our citizens that we’re going to veto.”
One of those is expected to be on a bill that would increase the cap on medical malpractice awards in the state.
