12/06/2025
Help us to keep the pressure on by contacting your local senators using the provided information. Your email or phone call could make a significant difference. Families deserve access to the behavioral therapies that are medically necessary for their children. Thank you to Marla Root and the rest and our colleagues with the Ohio Autism Insurance Coalition for helping us to advocate for this change.
“Autistic children, adolescents, and young adults are struggling to access behavioral health care in Ohio.” — Marla Root, June 5 testimony
Last week, Marla Root addressed the Ohio Senate Finance Committee with a clear message: the provider networks meant to serve Ohio’s autistic population—on both Medicaid and commercial plans—are failing under outdated limits and inaccessible coverage.
The solution? Five state budget amendments to stabilize autism care across the board—with no fiscal impact to the state. These include:
✅ Removing harmful age, hour, and visit caps in commercial plans
✅ Reimbursing ABA therapy at fair, actuarially set Medicaid rates
✅ Launching the long-awaited Medicaid coverage by July 1
✅ Protecting providers from rate cuts
✅ Giving technicians 120 days to achieve certification
These are common sense changes. They uphold the federal Mental Health Parity Law, reflect medical necessity, and restore hope to families like Jenny’s and Chad’s—both shared in Marla’s testimony.
📣 Help us keep the pressure on. Share. Call. Advocate.
https://ohiosenate.gov/members/district-map
