In Columbia, SC, Ashleigh Holland reports at WIS-TV:
Palmetto Autism Intervention (PAI) in Columbia is closing on June 30. The center provides therapy like Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), a treatment many consider critical for those with autism.
The center is one of few that takes Medicaid patients. But they blame the slightly higher reimbursement plan for putting them out of business, saying a rise from $13.58 per hour to $17.28 per hour just isn't enough.
Autism Speaks advocate and parent Lorri Unumb takes up for the treatment center.
"They are people who spend their days sometimes being spit upon and sometimes scratched, and it’s a very, can be a very demanding job. These providers are being reimbursed at such a low rate that they literally cannot afford to serve Medicaid children," Unumb says.
wistv.com - Columbia, South Carolina
