Parents and their supporters rallied Tuesday for health insurance coverage of autism treatments.

The all-day conference was hosted by the Nassau County Autism Coalition at Adelphi University. Organizers say the main goal of the event was to work with local, state and federal officials to persuade insurance companies to cover more of the costs of treating autism.

Michael Giangregorio, of Merrick, says his family has spent more than $80,000 on treating his 8-year-old son's autism. It is estimated that one out of 150 children in the United States has autism.

"If we're going to talk about health care reform for the entire country, we need to include autism," Giangregorio says.