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Medicaid Cuts Sever Autism Therapy in South Florida
31 Jul
Summary
- Children with autism lose crucial therapy hours due to state cuts.
- Therapy providers lost contracts with AHCA without explanation.
- Families are offered medication as a replacement for lost therapy.
Parents in South Florida are reporting a significant loss of crucial therapy hours for their children with autism and behavioral disorders. These reductions are attributed to state cuts and changes in insurance policies, which have led to a scarcity of specialists available to treat these vulnerable patients. Many behavior therapy providers in Miami-Dade County have had their contracts with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) terminated without explanation.
These cancellations have drastically reduced therapy sessions for affected children. For instance, one mother shared that her son's therapy hours dropped from 30 per week to just 8. Providers, like Rainbow Behavior Therapy, have experienced contract cancellations and payment delays, leading to a primarily empty office. An attorney representing providers noted that while fraud accusations were unfounded in represented cases, payment delays left children without services.
Meanwhile, insurance providers like Sunshine Health have also implemented pauses on adding practitioners, further complicating the situation. Families are now facing the prospect of their children being prescribed medication as a substitute for the therapy they desperately need, a solution many parents are hesitant to accept.
