HENDERSON, Ky (WEHT) – Indiana parents who rely on state assistance to pay for certain autism therapy for their children will not receive as much as aid as in previous years, but they will likely get more than originally proposed.
Parents say the market rate for applied behavioral analysis therapy, or ABA, is $100 per hour. The state proposed cutting the reimbursement number to $55 per hour.
The state budget committee stopped in Evansville to vote on the issue.
State Representative Gregorry Porter of Indianapolis says the state’s reimbursement rates are not meeting the needs of minority communities or under-served rural communities. Family and social services administrators say the current rate is unsustainable. The agency says last year, Medicaid spent $420 million on ABA.
Officials originally proposed dropping the reimbursement rate from $100 per hour to $55 per hour. It’s final recommendation is for $68 per hour.
That rate needs federal approval before it goes into effect, and if it does, the new reimbursement rates will begin January 1.
