{"id":495,"date":"2026-06-18T14:36:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T14:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northcarolinamovingjournal.com\/?p=495"},"modified":"2026-06-18T14:36:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T14:36:38","slug":"nc-lawmakers-seek-tighter-rules-for-autism-therapy-in-push-to-eliminate-medicaid-fraud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northcarolinamovingjournal.com\/?p=495","title":{"rendered":"NC lawmakers seek tighter rules for autism therapy in push to eliminate Medicaid fraud"},"content":{"rendered":"
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North Carolina legislators over the past few months have sought to lower healthcare costs, especially those caused by fraud and abuse within the Medicaid system. Now they\u2019re taking on the skyrocketing costs of an increasingly popular therapy for autism.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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State and federal Medicaid spending on applied behavioral analysis therapy, known as ABA, surpassed $505 million in 2025, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, an exponential increase from $1.9 million just five years prior.<\/span><\/p>\n

The steep jump in cost has happened at the same time as ABA providers in other states started offering telehealth services in North Carolina and billing them to Medicaid, although some local providers and advocates say the remote services may not be as effective for all patients.<\/span><\/p>\n

A rewritten version of <\/span>House Bill 34<\/span> aims to rein in the growth of spending on ABA by adding new requirements for providers. It passed the Senate Health Care Committee without debate Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

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NC legislators, alarmed over increasing cost of autism therapy, search for ways to control it<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n