Behavior analysis services (disability system): Medicaid rates by state

This is a service-level benchmark rather than a single code: each state's headline rate for behavior analysis services (disability system) is chosen to match the same service and the same provider level.

• Provider level. States are compared at the assistant behavior analyst (BCaBA / LaBA) level. Rates for other levels on file (behavior analyst, behavior technician, licensed mental health clinician and physician or licensed psychologist) are kept separate, never mixed into this ranking.
• Unit. Of the 5 states, 4 publish their headline rate per 15 min and 1 per hour. The ranking converts every time-based rate to an hour of service, so states that bill by the 15 minutes and by the hour compare directly.
• Variants. 5 of the 5 states publish more than one rate for this service (by modifier, program, setting or provider type); the headline rate is the one that matches the comparison, and the workspace lists every variant.
• Depth. 4,023 rates for this service are on file across all states, versions and provider levels; this page shows one headline rate per state.

The highest-paying state, Missouri, pays $80.52 per hour; the lowest, Idaho, pays $29.64 per hour, a 2.7x gap. 2 of the 5 states pay above the median of $38.05 per hour. Common reasons rates for ABA / autism services services spread this way:

• Some states pay ABA through a waiver or a separate program rather than the main state plan schedule.
• States built their ABA benefits at different times, and some have not rebased their rates since.
• Group sessions, family guidance, telehealth and rural modifiers each carry their own rates.

Billing notes

Modifiers such as HM, HN, HO and HP identify the practitioner's level in states that pay by credential. The ABA treatment codes are timed, so the rate is usually per 15-minute unit and four units make an hour.