Indiana
Indiana raises proposed autism therapy rates after providers, lawmakers express alarm
Proposed ABA therapy rate change cause worry for parents, therapists
This two-year-old has benefited from ABA therapy, but parents on Medicaid fear the consequences of FSSA’s proposed new reimbursement structure.
Kelly Wilkinson, Indianapolis Star
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration has increased their proposed reimbursement rates for autism therapy services for children with Medicaid, after providers and state lawmakers reacted with alarm to the first, lower rate.
The FSSA has landed on $68 an hour, after adding in a larger reimbursement for administrative overhead costs as well as more money to cover time that supervisors can’t bill for. The state plans to implement it in January.
Though everyone agrees that there needs to be a uniform rate to reimburse Applied Behavior Therapy, providers feared that the state’s initial proposed rate ― $55 for the most common form of therapy, a large decrease from the average $91 they are accustomed to receiving ― would require such a large adjustment that providers would have to lay off staff, reduce services or even close.
More: ‘Rippling effect’: Autism therapy providers fear drastically lower proposed Medicaid rates
This comes after the FSSA fielded hundreds of comments on the initial proposal, and more than 40 state lawmakers signed a letter asking Gov. Eric Holcomb to intervene.
Indiana ACT for Families, a coalition of parents, therapists and providers, is still dissatisfied with the result. They called the decision “callous” and fear it will still result in a reduction in services for children with autism.
“We ask that Governor Holcomb direct FSSA to reconsider the cuts and have a fulsome discussion with the thousands of Hoosier families who will feel this detrimental impact to come to a reasonable, transparent rate agreement that is fair for all stakeholders,” the coalition stated in a news release.
FSSA notes that the $68 rate is higher than those in neighboring states like Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky, and is in line with the national average of $68 among states that share this data.
Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17.