Autism and Disability Care

An NPR/KFF Health News report on Dec. 23, 2025 details how multiple states, including North Carolina, Nebraska, Colorado and Indiana, are cutting or considering cutting Medicaid payments and hours for applied behavior analysis (ABA) autism therapy as program spending soars following federal coverage mandates. North Carolina, where ABA Medicaid payments are projected to rise from $122 million in FY 2022 to $639 million in FY 2026, has already halved weekly therapy hours for at least some children, while Nebraska has imposed cuts of up to nearly 50% for some providers amid 1,700%–2,800% spending increases in several states and looming federal Medicaid reductions under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.