Representatives Jeff Grisamore and Dwight Scharnhorst both presented legislation to the Missouri House Health Care Policy Committee last week. HB298 and HB357 are identical in language to Senate Bill 167 that has gone to the State Senate. In an effort to sway the committee, Ron Ashworth, a former hospital CEO who served on the Missouri Blue Ribbon Panel on Autism let legislators know that by taking no action they would be costing the state more money in the long run. He noted that autism left untreated would cost the State of Missouri $3.2 million dollars per person over the course of their lifespan.