Florida has shifted ABA service delivery to state-contracted managed care plans, forcing providers to negotiate with plans and causing some to pause or drop Medicaid services.

The ABA task force is pursuing timely recommendations, with a final hearing on provider rate disputes slated for October as the process continues.

state scrutiny of ABA spending intensifies amid concerns about rapid cost growth, potential fraud, waste, and abuse, in the context of CMS inquiries and related toolkit provisions.

A 10-member ABA Task Force was formed to review clinical care models, cross-setting transitions, quality metrics, authorization durations, potential service caps, and provider enrollment and billing improvements, with recommendations due by year-end.

From 2023 to 2025, Florida spent about $6.57 billion on Medicaid ABA services for children, far exceeding other states and prompting legislative review.

Parents report disruptions and long waitlists during the transition, with some children losing access to ABA providers during enforcement phases.

Florida’s Medicaid integrity initiative broadens scrutiny across multiple states in response to CMS concerns and inquiries about Medicaid integrity and oversight.

Florida’s ABA delivery pattern is an outlier, with fewer very young children under five receiving ABA and a larger share of services going to older children, compared with national trends.

As of 2025, managed care plans handle 99% of Medicaid-covered ABA services for children, but rate adjustments and a Pediatric Associates lawsuit accuse reductions to fund plan reimbursements.