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Families Face Crisis as Autism Plan Approvals Stall
5 Sep
Summary
- Hundreds of autism treatment plans are backlogged in Minnesota.
- Providers are taking out personal loans to cover autism services.
- The state health department may terminate its contract with Acentra.
Autism services in Minnesota are facing an unexpected crisis due to a severe backlog in treatment plan approvals. Hundreds of children, including 3-year-old Raymond, are at risk of losing essential speech and occupational therapies as their treatment plans remain unapproved.
Providers like Minnesota Behavioral Specialists are struggling financially, with co-owners Camille Heyman and Paige Berland resorting to personal loans and cashing out retirement funds to continue offering services. They are awaiting approval for 11 plans submitted in June, with no reimbursement from Medicaid.
The Minnesota Department of Health attributes the delay to an overhaul of the system aimed at preventing fraud and points to Acentra, the third-party contractor responsible for approvals. Acentra is mandated to approve plans within five business days but has fallen significantly behind.
Officials are now overseeing corrective actions and have warned Acentra that their contract could be terminated if the backlog issue is not resolved promptly. Acentra states they are working to manage demand and expand capacity, citing spikes in autism treatment referrals.
