Re: Medicaid funding for ABA

[Guest guest]

That is absolutely not what she said, as I interpreted it. She referred to

substance abusers too.

The point is that Medicaid will not cover any autism spectrum diagnosis and pay

for ABA services when a pervasive developmental disorder is a primary diagnosis,

no matter what any comorbid diagnosis may be. It's also important to note that

secondary diagnoses are usually given for medication purposes (insurance

billing) because many of the symptoms (anxiety, ocd, etc.) are better accounted

for under the primary diagnosis of a PDD.

My original question is why hasn't the community come together to develop a

class action suit or lobby for ABA to be covered by Medicaid? It appears that

when Medicaid was started, someone, somehow had the foresight to see that

providing that service could bankrupt the system...However, it's a needed

service.

I, too, worked for a community mental health center and just felt that so many

kids on the spectrum could be helped if Medicaid funded ABA.

Sent from my iPhone