Autism providers warn Georgia foster children may lose therapy access after Medicaid insurer cuts reimbursements 30%
Amerigroup, the insurer that covers Georgia's foster children through Medicaid, has cut reimbursements to autism therapy providers by 30%. The Autism Families Alliance, which previously supported the Trump administration's Medicaid fraud crackdown, is now warning that the cuts could force up to 75% of clinics to close or stop serving foster children. Advocates say the reductions are an unintended consequence of broader efforts to eliminate fraud from Medicaid-funded autism services.
Single source · Not corroborated
Amerigroup, the Medicaid managed care insurer covering Georgia's foster children, has reduced what it pays Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy providers by 30%, according to the Autism Families Alliance. The organization, which describes itself as a national advocacy group representing ABA providers and the families who rely on them, says the cut is connected to broader state and federal scrutiny of Medicaid billing in autism services.
The Autism Families Alliance stated that 75% of clinics may have to close their doors or stop accepting foster children as patients. Foster children with autism, advocates noted, cannot easily switch insurers, leaving many families with limited alternatives. Taylor Sanders, a family advocate with the group, told Fox News Digital that some affected children have challenging or aggressive behaviors and depend on consistent therapy to develop essential safety and daily living skills.
The group had previously backed the Trump administration's efforts to root out Medicaid fraud in autism services, including a publicly announced crackdown that the administration described as the largest autism fraud bust in American history. But advocates now say the implementation has moved from targeted enforcement to system-wide reimbursement reductions that affect legitimate providers alongside bad actors. Sanders described the approach as "going in with a sledgehammer when really we should be going in with a scalpel."