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October 19, 2015

MICHELLE RINDELS
SunHerald Associated Press

Parents urged Nevada officials to pay more to therapists who work with children with autism, saying low rates could lead to a shortage of workers.

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Parents urged Nevada officials to pay more to therapists who work with children with autism, saying low rates could lead to a shortage of workers.

Several people gave tearful testimony Monday at a Division of Health Care Financing and Policy meeting. One woman brought her son and said he would not be able to speak were it not for interventions when he was younger.

The state plans to reimburse Registered Behavior Technicians who take Medicaid at a rate of $29.50 per hour. Advocates want a $40 rate, saying Nevada needs to pay better to cover the full costs of employing the skilled workers and to attract enough therapists to the state.

Nevada has only about 95 technicians, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal, but will need many more to meet anticipated demand.

"If we create a program that doesn't serve these kids because the providers won't provide the service, it's almost worse than not setting up a program at all, because we're offering false hope," said Barbara Buckley, former speaker of the Nevada Assembly and director of the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.

State officials took public comments at the meeting but didn't act on the rate, which is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1.

Registered Behavior Technicians conduct therapy sessions for children with autism and are supervised by someone with a higher-level certification, such as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, who designs intervention plans. Technicians must have at least a high school diploma, complete 40 hours of training and pass exams to be certified.

Early intervention treatments for children with autism can be costly and intensive — sometimes 30 or 40 hours a week — but are often credited for helping children develop verbal skills and live more independently.

Services provided by Registered Behavior Technicians will soon be covered by Medicaid, meaning about 1,800 children in Nevada will be newly eligible for them. The state is taking public input and working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to determine an appropriate payment rate.

Witnesses said rates were much higher in neighboring states, and urged officials not to create a two-tiered system where children with private insurance get better care than children on Medicaid.

"Children with insurance have access to quality providers," said Jan Crandy of the Nevada Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders. "Children on Medicaid don't deserve any less quality of a provider, and that is what's going to happen here with these rates."

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/news/health/article40256559.html#storylink=cpy