Hartford, Conn. — Connecticut’s Medicaid Program will cover all children and young adults under 21 years of age under a new plan spearheaded by the Department of Social Services (DSS), together with other state agencies.
Under the new Medicaid program, thousands of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will receive benefits that would cover ‘evidence-based’ autism treatment services such as Applied Behavior Analysis, pivotal response training, social stories, and structured playgroups, among others. The services to be covered under Medicaid will be based on behavior assessment, diagnostic evaluation, and individualized care plan for the young beneficiaries.
Director of Autism Spectrum Services for the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services (DDS) Jennifer Borgin considers the state’s new Medicaid program a milestone. She said:
“This is absolutely huge. Many children already get quality programming during the school day. But it’s rare when that programming is brought into the home. This is a way for families to fully include their children.”
DDS also plans to address one of the major obstacles that the beneficiaries are currently facing– the lack of service providers in the state. The department is currently expediting the accreditation of some 500 ASD providers already registered in Connecticut, and plans to draw more providers into the state.
Connecticut’s new Medicaid program will start providing the new coverage of services for individuals with ASD beginning Jan. 1 next year.
Contributed by Althea Estrella Violeta