Press ReleaseNeutral2026-06-18

Autism centers are defrauding Medicaid to the tune of millions

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This press release from Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) was published on 2026-06-18 and titled "Autism centers are defrauding Medicaid to the tune of millions".

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Autism centers are defrauding Medicaid to the tune of millions

This op-ed by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) first appeared in National Review on June 18, 2026. Autism is a breathtakingly complex disorder. Some children with autism grow up to become CEOs, actors, and professional athletes. Others never learn to speak or develop the skills they need to care for themselves. The vast differences in how autism presents itself in children make it very difficult for medical professionals to treat - and easy for fraudsters to scam. The federal government requires state Medicaid programs to cover treatment for children with autism. Medicaid spending on autism-related therapies - known as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy - increased by 403 percent from 2019 to 2024. Autism treatment is now the fastest-growing segment of Medicaid spending, and much of the money comes from the federal government, not state governments. One analysis found that autism centers billed as much as $340,000 annually per patient. The enormous scale of the federal government's autism expenditures has made it a top target of thieves. In Minnesota, Medicaid spending on autism-related behavioral therapies increased from $670,000 to $342.8 million between 2019 and 2024 - a 50,988 percent increase . Meanwhile, families in Minnesota struggled to find quality care for their children. One Twin Cities facility had a waitlist of more than 2,000 families seeking care. You didn't need to be Sherlock Holmes to know that something was off, especially when some of these autism providers began driving Aston Martin sports cars and wearing Rolex watches. In May, the Justice Department indicted two of Minnesota's supposed autism care providers for allegedly billing the federal government for more than $46.6 million in therapies that they never provided. It's not just Minnesota. A federal Department of Health and Human Services audit from earlier this year identified as much as $600 million in improper Medicaid bills from autism centers in Indiana, Wisconsin, Maine, and Colorado. In Indiana alone, Medicaid spending on ABA therapies had increased by 2,810 percent between 2017 and 2023. And like Minnesota, Indiana families struggled to find effective autism therapies despite the drastic increase in spending. To be clear, Medicaid should provide a safety net for families of children with severe cases of autism. ABA therapies for children with autism can cost between $4,800 and $20,000 per month, depending on the intensity of the treatment. But autism services shouldn't be a bottomless pot of gold. Sadly, some private equity firms see it as just that. A study by Brown University revealed that private equity firms have acquired more than 500 autism centers over the past decade. Four out of five of those acquisitions occurred in just the past four years. There's nothing inherently wrong with private equity firms investing in autism care centers. But private equity firms exist to make money, and the profit-driven nature of these investments can create perverse incentives regarding diagnosis and treatment. To provide a few such examples: Many autism facilities provide their own in-house autism screening, thus presenting a clear conflict of interest. Others provide bonuses to salespeople to sell the most hours of therapy. Some autism centers don't even bother diagnosing children with autism before beginning therapy. Several families have reported that their children were told to withdraw from typical school settings to receive therapy 40 hours per week - a drastic move that should only be reserved for the most debilitating cases of autism. And now, children on Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are 2.5 times more likely to receive an autism diagnosis than children on private insurance. While it's not clear how many false autism diagnoses have occurred, it's very concerning that states in the top third for childhood autism prevalence were 24 percent more likely to have private-equity-owned clinics than other states. America is the most generous country on earth. If you are hungry, we will feed you. If you need a home, we will house you. And if you're struggling to afford the complex therapies your children need to manage their autism, we want our Medicaid dollars to help cover the costs. But when some third-rate fraudster or private equity firm chooses to bilk Medicaid for their own gain, it not only harms the children in need, but it also destroys taxpayers' confidence that their money is going to worthwhile causes. The families of Americans with autism deserve better, as do American taxpayers. Fortunately, change is on the way. The One Big Beautiful Bill included several provisions to help address the rampant Medicaid fraud occurring in America. Additionally, Vice President JD Vance, Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services administrator Mehmet Oz, and the prosecutors at the Justice Department have been working hard to stop fraudsters in their tracks. Some states are stepping up to combat fraud, too. North Car

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Autism centers are defrauding Medicaid to the tune of millions This op-ed by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) first appeared in National Review on June 18, 2026. Autism is a breathtakingly complex disorder. Some children with autism grow up to become CEOs, actors, and professional athletes. Others never learn to speak or develop the skills they need to care for themselves. The vast differences in how autism presents itself in children make it very difficult for medical professionals to treat - and easy for fraudsters to scam. The federal government requires state Medicaid programs to cover treatment for children with autism. Medicaid spending on autism-related therapies - known as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy - increased by 403 percent from 2019 to 2024. Autism treatment is now the fastest-growing segment of Medicaid spending, and much of the money comes from the federal government, not state governments. One analysis found that autism centers billed as much as $340,000 annually per patient. The enormous scale of the federal government's autism expenditures has made it a top target of thieves. In Minnesota, Medicaid spending on autism-related behavioral therapies increased from $670,000 to $342.8 million between 2019 and 2024 - a 50,988 percent increase . Meanwhile, families in Minnesota struggled to find quality care for their children. One Twin Cities facility had a waitlist of more than 2,000 families seeking care. You didn't need to be Sherlock Holmes to know that something was off, especially when some of these autism providers began driving Aston Martin sports cars and wearing Rolex watches. In May, the Justice Department indicted two of Minnesota's supposed autism care providers for allegedly billing the federal government for more than $46.6 million in therapies that they never provided. It's not just Minnesota. A federal Department of Health and Human Services audit from earlier this year identified as much as $600 million in improper Medicaid bills from autism centers in Indiana, Wisconsin, Maine, and Colorado. In Indiana alone, Medicaid spending on ABA therapies had increased by 2,810 percent between 2017 and 2023. And like Minnesota, Indiana families struggled to find effective autism therapies despite the drastic increase in spending. To be clear, Medicaid should provide a safety net for families of children with severe cases of autism. ABA therapies for children with autism can cost between $4,800 and $20,000 per month, depending on the intensity of the treatment. But autism services shouldn't be a bottomless pot of gold. Sadly, some private equity firms see it as just that. A study by Brown University revealed that private equity firms have acquired more than 500 autism centers over the past decade. Four out of five of those acquisitions occurred in just the past four years. There's nothing inherently wrong with private equity firms investing in autism care centers. But private equity firms exist to make money, and the profit-driven nature of these investments can create perverse incentives regarding diagnosis and treatment. To provide a few such examples: Many autism facilities provide their own in-house autism screening, thus presenting a clear conflict of interest. Others provide bonuses to salespeople to sell the most hours of therapy. Some autism centers don't even bother diagnosing children with autism before beginning therapy. Several families have reported that their children were told to withdraw from typical school settings to receive therapy 40 hours per week - a drastic move that should only be reserved for the most debilitating cases of autism. And now, children on Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are 2.5 times more likely to receive an autism diagnosis than children on private insurance. While it's not clear how many false autism diagnoses have occurred, it's very concerning that states in the top third for childhood autism prevalence were 24 percent more likely to have private-equity-owned clinics than other states. America is the most generous country on earth. If you are hungry, we will feed you. If you need a home, we will house you. And if you're struggling to afford the complex therapies your children need to manage their autism, we want our Medicaid dollars to help cover the costs. But when some third-rate fraudster or private equity firm chooses to bilk Medicaid for their own gain, it not only harms the children in need, but it also destroys taxpayers' confidence that their money is going to worthwhile causes. The families of Americans with autism deserve better, as do American taxpayers. Fortunately, change is on the way. The One Big Beautiful Bill included several provisions to help address the rampant Medicaid fraud occurring in America. Additionally, Vice President JD Vance, Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services administrator Mehmet Oz, and the prosecutors at the Justice Department have been working hard to stop fraudsters in their tracks. Some states are stepping up to combat fraud, too. North Car