Lawmakers protest Amerigroup autism rate cuts

Change to Medicaid funding has drawn sharp criticism at the state capitol tonight. Fox 5's Deidre Dukes reports on the backlash facing Amerigroup over sudden cuts to critical autism care. A steep rate cut for critical autism therapy is sparking outrage at the state capitol with parents and lawmakers demanding action. There's a significant risk to Cora's progress and children like Cora. Molly Jones is sounding the alarm after Amerigroup, Georgia's Medicaid contractor for Georgia Children and Foster Care implemented a 30% rate cut for applied behavior analysis therapy. As both an ABA provider and the parent of a non-speaking autistic child, Jones warns the cuts, which were implemented September 1st, create an unstable environment for state providers and threatens the developmental services her adoptive daughter Cora and other children rely on. We've definitely seen a huge difference in her communication. She was completely nonspeaking when she was first diagnosed with autism. Amerigroup is charged with solely providing care for our state's foster care kids and those adopted out of foster care. Every child with autism needs our support, but it's especially disturbing that Amerigroup decides to abruptly cut services to most vulnerable among us. The issue hits close to home for Republican State Attorney General nominee Brian Strickland. The state Senator has a child with autism. He joined other concerned lawmakers, foster care parents and ABA providers at a news conference Thursday. It is indefensible to cut these rates without at least providing adequate notice and opportunity for the state to review network adequacy for our children served by Medicaid. Lawmakers and providers are demanding Amerigroup immediately roll back the cuts and stop dropping providers until a full network review can prove children still have proper access to care you spend that much time making meaningful meaningful steps and seeing improvements and then to to see the access kind of get taken away is a really scary thought we reached out to Amerigroup for a comment today and are still waiting to hear back. At the state capitol, Deidre Dukes, Fox 5 News.