'The King's Speech' Sheds Light on Stuttering, but Not Its Cost

The King's Speech, which tells the tale of how King George VI overcame his stammer to deliver a moving speech to his countrymen as they fought the Nazis in World War II, is considered a front-runner to win the Oscar for Best Picture next weekend. For people with speech problems today, however, the battle to get treatment continues.

Getting health insurers to cover the costs of speech therapy can be difficult, which presents a big problem for the 3 million Americans who stutter. The Stuttering Foundation estimates that 5% of all children go through a stuttering phase that lasts for six months or longer, although most are able to recover. About 1% have a longer-term problem that lingers to adulthood like King George VI