State lawmakers are considering legislation that would require insurance companies to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of Autism.

Insurance companies say passing the bill would boost the rates of all customers, but the proponents of the measure say any increased costs related to autism coverage would be marginal.

The Cote family of Ronan says that the opponents of Senate Bill 234 think government should not intervene and force this kind of coverage.

The cost of the measure is also a concern. Branden's Bill, as it's known, would cause the average Montana Policy Holder's insurance rates to rise by almost $13 a year.

We spent some time with the Cote's, who say from first hand experience that the money is needed.

"When he was first diagnosed he had no language, no eye contact and he was in discontent 90% of the day. He was miserable..." commented Charlie Cote, who's the mother of an autistic child.

She described the life of her middle child Decker before treatment, "He'd pull his own hair out of his head, he would gag and choke himself. His longest tantrum was 17 hours, so it wasn't a behavioral thing where you could say he'd cry it out and go to sleep".

Decker has been receiving Applied Behavioral Analysis Treatment, (ABA) for over a year and Charlie and her husband Will hire an instructor from Utah to come every other month to teach them and other friends and family how to teach Decker

Decker undergoes the treatment seven days a week, all year long, spending hours of small attainable goals. When he's right, he's rewarded and when wrong, he's redirected or ignored.

But the program, which has worked so well for Decker, does not receive insurance coverage.

"I've often used the analogy (that) if Decker would have had cancer, we would have had coverage" said Charlie. "Our hand would have been held out of that office from the first day we got the diagnosis. Instead Decker had autism and the doctor had tears in his eyes when we left and he said good luck."

The Cote's say they've received a great deal of support from their community, but they just don't have enough money to keep this treatment going.

That's why they say Senate Bill 234 is so dear to their hearts. So, they're trying to convince lawmakers to support the legislation by using the example of their son, a boy who now makes eye contact, engages with his siblings, and sleeps through the night.

"Our big point we want to make is Decker isn't a fluke. He is what will happen if these kids receive the right treatment" explained Charlie.

The Cote's say that 40 percent to 50 percent of autistic children who receive ABA treatment are indistinguishable from their peers by the time they start school.

There's a fund set up through any Valley Bank location to help out the Cote's, just ask to donate to "A Dream for Decker".

- Dan Boyce reporting from KPAX in Missoula