How Much Does ABA Therapy Cost?

8 ways families pay for ABA therapy

Start with the coverage you already have, then fill the gaps. Each way to pay links to its official page, and the area says where it applies.

1. 1

   Private health insurance (state autism laws)

   Nationwide

   Good for Families with employer or marketplace coverage

   Most states have laws that make many private health plans cover autism treatment, including ABA, though ages, dollar caps and which plans they reach differ. In California, every state-regulated plan that covers hospital and medical care must cover behavioral health treatment, including ABA, for autism, and can’t refuse medically necessary care because a school or public program could provide it. Self-funded employer plans follow federal rules instead. You pay your deductible and copays or coinsurance, up to the plan’s out-of-pocket maximum.

   • California: required since July 1, 2012
   • Usually needs prior authorization
   • Self-funded plan? Ask HR

   ncsl.org (opens their site)

2. 2

   Medicaid for children under 21 (EPSDT)

   Nationwide

   Good for Children with Medicaid in any state

   Medicaid’s EPSDT benefit gives children under 21 the services they need to correct or ameliorate health conditions, even ones the state’s Medicaid plan doesn’t otherwise cover. CMS says that can include services commonly provided as part of ABA, and each state sets its own rules, rates and limits. In 2025, state fee-for-service rates for technician time ran $10.39 to $22.63 per 15 minutes. Ask your child’s Medicaid health plan or your state Medicaid agency how to get ABA approved.

   • Under 21
   • Medically necessary care
   • Rules and rates vary by state

   medicaid.gov (opens their site)

3. 3

   Medi-Cal behavioral health treatment

   California

   Good for California children under 21 with Medi-Cal

   Medi-Cal covers all medically necessary behavioral health treatment, including ABA, for members under 21. A physician or psychologist must recommend it, and no autism diagnosis is required. Children in a Medi-Cal managed care plan, such as L.A. Care in Los Angeles County, get it through the plan; children with fee-for-service Medi-Cal can go through their regional center or an enrolled Medi-Cal provider. Therapy can happen at home, in a clinic, in the community or at school, and the plan is reviewed at least every six months.

   • Under 21
   • No autism diagnosis required
   • A physician or psychologist recommends it
   • Home, clinic, community or school

   dhcs.ca.gov (opens their site)

4. 4

   Regional centers

   California

   Good for California families of kids with developmental disabilities

   California’s 21 nonprofit regional centers serve people with developmental disabilities, including many children with autism: they assess, decide eligibility and buy the services in each person’s plan. For ABA they look to insurance or Medi-Cal first, then can fund what those don’t cover. If your health plan pays for ABA, the regional center may pay your copays, coinsurance and deductible when family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, and must pay them for Early Start children under 3 at any income.

   • 21 regional centers; 7 in LA County
   • Copay help up to 400% of poverty level
   • Early Start (under 3): any income

   dds.ca.gov (opens their site)

5. 5

   Your school district (IEP)

   Nationwide

   Good for Behavior support during the school day

   Public schools must give children with disabilities a free appropriate public education, at no charge to families. When a child’s behavior gets in the way of learning, the IEP team must consider positive behavioral interventions and supports, which can include a behavior intervention plan or other behavior supports written into the IEP. It covers what your child needs at school. In California, a health plan can’t deny medically necessary ABA because an IEP could provide it.

   • No cost to families
   • Behavior supports written into the IEP
   • Covers needs at school

   sites.ed.gov (opens their site)

6. 6

   TRICARE Autism Care Demonstration

   Military families

   Good for Military and retiree families

   TRICARE covers ABA for autism through its Autism Care Demonstration, open to family members of active duty service members, retirees and certain National Guard and Reserve members who are in a TRICARE plan and diagnosed by an approved provider. Active duty families must also enroll in EFMP and ECHO. You pay your plan’s copay or cost-share once per day for all ABA that day, and it counts toward your catastrophic cap. There’s no yearly or lifetime cap on ABA.

   • One copay per day of ABA
   • No yearly or lifetime ABA caps
   • Referral and pre-authorization
   • Runs through Dec. 31, 2028

   tricare.mil (opens their site)

7. 7

   HSA and FSA money

   Nationwide

   Good for Copays, deductibles and self-pay hours

   A health savings account (HSA) or health flexible spending account (FSA) lets you pay qualified medical expenses with tax-free money. IRS Publication 502 counts therapy received as medical treatment as a medical expense, which can include ABA copays, deductibles and self-pay sessions. If you itemize, medical costs above 7.5% of your adjusted gross income are deductible. Confirm with your plan administrator, and keep receipts and the treatment plan.

   • Tax-free dollars
   • Deduction above 7.5% of AGI
   • Keep receipts and the treatment plan

   irs.gov (opens their site)

8. 8

   Autism grants

   Nationwide

   Good for Filling a gap, such as a deductible

   Grants won’t pay for a year of ABA, but they can fill a gap. ACT Today (Autism Care Today) gives grants of up to $5,000 to families affected by autism across the U.S., including help offsetting ABA costs, and pays approved providers directly. It funds quarterly from set application windows, and it doesn’t pay for transportation, rent, utilities or vacations. Check its page for the next window.

   • Up to $5,000
   • Paid to the provider
   • Set application windows

   act-today.org (opens their site)

What ABA costs per hour, per week and per year

ABA therapy services are billed in 15-minute units under a handful of billing codes. Most hours are one-on-one therapy by a technician (code 97153). BCBA time is billed separately: the assessment (97151), adjusting the plan while working with your child (97155) and parent training (97156).

Per hour. Public payers publish their rates, the clearest yardstick:

• LA regional centers, July 2026: full rates of $141.11 an hour for a behavior analyst and $67.22 for a behavior technician at Westside Regional Center, and $145.60 and $70.35 at North Los Angeles County Regional Center (DDS rate sheets).
• State Medicaid programs, 2025: fee-for-service rates of $10.39 to $22.63 per 15 minutes of technician time, about $42 to $91 an hour, from North Dakota (lowest) to Alaska (highest) (CMS).
• Private agencies set their own self-pay rates. Ask for a written rate sheet that lists each kind of time separately.

Per week. CMS notes programs range from about 5 to 40 hours a week, and says 40 isn’t best practice because children need time for eating, napping and the bathroom. Clinical guidelines add 1 to 2 hours of BCBA supervision for every 10 hours of therapy. In TRICARE’s autism program in fiscal 2024, children ages 4 and 5 averaged 10.2 hours a week of one-on-one therapy; teens 13 and older averaged 5.2.

Per year. TRICARE’s 2026 report to Congress shows real totals: in fiscal 2024 it paid an average of $29,481 per child for ABA. Half the children cost less than $17,896, a quarter cost more than $41,684, and 887 of 17,603 children, about 5%, cost more than $100,000.

What you’ll actually pay with coverage

The rates above are what payers pay agencies. With coverage, your share is set by your plan:

• Private insurance: your deductible, then copays or coinsurance, until you reach the plan’s out-of-pocket maximum. After that, the plan pays 100% of covered in-network care for the rest of the plan year. For 2026, a Marketplace plan’s limit can’t be more than $10,600 for one person or $21,200 for a family.
• Medicaid and Medi-Cal: medically necessary ABA is covered for children under 21; ask your plan about any cost-sharing.
• TRICARE: your plan’s copay or cost-share, once per day for all ABA that day, counting toward your catastrophic cap.
• Regional center help (California): copays, coinsurance and deductibles can be paid for families at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, and at any income for Early Start children under 3.

Before your child starts, call the number on your insurance card and ask:

1. Is ABA covered for my child’s diagnosis, and is my plan fully insured or self-funded?
2. What are my deductible, copay or coinsurance, and out-of-pocket maximum for in-network behavioral health care?
3. Which in-network ABA agencies near me have openings?
4. What does prior authorization need: a diagnosis, a doctor’s referral, a treatment plan?
5. How many hours will be approved, and for how long before a review?

Getting ABA paid for in California

Medi-Cal. Medi-Cal covers all medically necessary behavioral health treatment, including ABA, for members under 21, with no autism diagnosis required: a physician or psychologist has to recommend it (DHCS). Managed care plans, such as L.A. Care in LA County, arrange and authorize it. With fee-for-service Medi-Cal, you can use your regional center or an enrolled Medi-Cal provider. An agency can’t require parents to take part, and can’t cut medically necessary hours because your child is in school (Medi-Cal provider manual).

Private plans. Since July 1, 2012, every state-regulated health plan that covers hospital and medical care has had to cover behavioral health treatment, including ABA, for autism (Health and Safety Code 1374.73). Plans must cover mental health care on the same terms as other medical care, and can’t deny medically necessary services because special education, an IEP or Medi-Cal could cover them (1374.72). If your plan says no, appeal to the plan, then ask the Department of Managed Health Care for an Independent Medical Review; its Help Center is at 1-888-466-2219.

Regional centers. If your child is a regional center client, the center can pay ABA copays, coinsurance and deductibles when your family’s income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, and sometimes above it, after an extraordinary event, a catastrophic loss or high unreimbursed medical costs (Welfare and Institutions Code 4659.1). For babies and toddlers in Early Start, it pays that cost-sharing at any income. Our guide to LA’s regional centers explains how to apply, and our list of in-home ABA agencies in LA can help you find a provider.

Questions parents ask