Florida ABA Task Force weighs licensure, Medicaid rate penalties
Florida's ABA Task Force, a panel charged with recommending how the state should use Medicaid dollars to treat children with autism, met Monday and will hold two more sessions before finalizing recommendations to the Legislature. Ideas discussed include requiring licensure of ABA provider businesses (not just individual practitioners), tying Medicaid reimbursement rates to annual provider surveys with penalties for failed surveys, requiring minimum patient attendance to continue receiving services, and expanding coverage beyond ABA to other autism therapies. Centria Autism's CEO proposed licensure modeled on home health agency rules and a 10% reimbursement penalty for providers that fail surveys; AHCA Secretary Shevaun Harris said the agency has independently considered similar facility licensure concepts. No final recommendations have been adopted yet.