Autism Therapy Slashes: Abandoning Vulnerable Children
On April 1, 2026, the Braun administration implemented devastating cuts to Medicaid-covered Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for autism. Over strong protests from Hoosier families and advocates, the state slapped a rigid 4,000-hour lifetime cap on comprehensive therapy, forcing children who exhaust their limit out of intensive treatment.
Additionally, the new policy imposes a 6% cut to reimbursement rates for therapist providers and restricts ABA coverage exclusively to those under 21, completely eliminating therapy for autistic adults.
Parents and providers warn that these caps and funding cuts will derail essential developmental progress, stripping children of the life-changing support they need to learn to communicate, socialize, and thrive.
Should our state's most vulnerable children have their therapy rationed by a rigid lifetime hour cap?
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