Last fall, the new South Carolina Medicaid director told lawmakers he needed $30 million to comply with a recent federal rule that requires states to cover autism therapy for children enrolled in the low-income health insurance program.
But based on Gov. Nikki Haleys executive budget request, he may only get about half that much.
Theres no way it will end up being enough, said Kim Thomas, president of the South Carolina Autism Society.
But the new rule is still exciting, she said. The money will mainly pay for expensive, but effective treatment called Applied Behavior Analysis for thousands of children and teenagers in South Carolina who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.
Medicaid is finally realizing the value of ABA therapy, but its important to note that they didnt have a choice, Thomas said. This was a federal ruling.
Christian Soura, who was appointed by Haley as the new Medicaid director in November, told state senators shortly after he accepted the job that his agency would need $8.7 million in state money for the new autism rule.
That amount would allow his department to draw down about $21 million more from the federal government to fully fund the program for a $30 million total.
But Haleys executive budget, which she released in January, only asks the General Assembly to approve $4.8 million in state funds for autism. If the Legislature signs off on that amount, the available federal match will be much smaller only about $11 million or $12 million. In that case, Soura must comply with the new rule using only $16 million, not $30 million.
Theres always uncertainty when youre trying to do budget projections that far in advance, Soura said. Nobody should look at this like a sign that the commitment is not there.
The department may have needed the full $30 million if Medicaid started covering autism services at the beginning of the fiscal year on July 1, Soura said. But its more likely autism benefits wont be available until at least Oct. 1. The governors budget request reflects the difference between funding the new rule for a whole fiscal year versus a partial fiscal year, he said.
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Autism leaders says state funding may fall short