Some pressing matters for anyone receiving ABA therapy who is on Medicaid, and how you can help :-)
- Fritz Kruggel
- Mar 25
- 2 min read
Hello SCI families and service recipients!
I hope you are having a nice start to the spring and able to enjoy the pleasant weather we’re starting to see more of! I’m reaching out to share with you all some (somewhat belated but still timely) information about a pressing issue affecting ABA therapy service recipients and providers that has been brewing, and is now upon us.
As many of you may be aware, the state of Indiana recently announced a variety of changes to ABA medicaid funding and service requirements. This includes Hoosier Healthwise, Hoosier Care Connect, and “Traditional" Medicaid. These changes are significant and will impact many of our service recipients at SCI and across the state.
These changes have been anticipated for several months but were just finalized and released earlier this month. Rather than try to explain the changes ourselves, I’ve attached a summary which includes some guidance about “what you can do” from the Hoosier Association of Behavior Analysis below. I serve on the Public Policy Committee for HABA, and was able to participate in the development of this document.
The state is presently taking public comments but the last day to submit comments is this Friday, March 27th. So here are some instructions for how to make a comment quickly and easily. This same information is also at the bottom of the HABA notice below.
What Families Can Do
Share your thoughts and comments with the state by emailing your comments to spacomment@fssa.in.gov with subject: COMMENT RE: APPLIED BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS COVERAGE and address to Conner Ortman. Below is an example that you could copy and paste, modify, and/or add your own experiences to.
Dear Conner Ortman,
I am the parent of a child who receives ABA therapy. These services have made a meaningful difference in my child’s life. I am concerned that the proposed changes, including the lifetime cap on therapy hours, increased parent training requirements, and reduced reimbursement rates, could limit access to care for many children in Indiana. ABA therapy helps children learn communication, independence, and daily life skills. Policies that reduce access to these services may harm families who rely on them. Please consider the impact these changes may have on children and families across our state. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Thank You,
Enter Your Name
The above sums up the gist of what is happening. You should also know that we are not planning to change anything about how we currently operate other than what is necessary to ensure we are aligning with these new requirements. However, we are still unclear about what some of these changes may require, and are anticipating further guidance from Medicaid over the coming weeks. As such, we will continue to communicate with you about any changes that may or will affect your services.
Attached is the notice from HABA with additional information:
Thank you for taking the time to review, and as always please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns about any of this.
Sincerely, Fritz
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