Paying for ABA
Insurance, Ohio scholarships, and honest answers about cost.
Nobody should start therapy without knowing what it will cost. We verify your funding and put the number in front of you before your child's first session.
1. Insurance
Insurance language is designed to be confusing. Here are the four words that decide what you actually pay:
- Prior authorization
- Your insurer's permission to start. We submit the treatment plan and the supporting documents, then follow up until we get an answer.
- Deductible
- The amount you pay out of pocket each plan year before insurance starts paying its share. ABA hours add up quickly, so a high deductible is usually felt in the first months of the year.
- Copay
- A flat amount per session. Predictable, and easy to multiply by the number of sessions a week.
- Coinsurance
- A percentage of the cost per session instead of a flat fee. If your plan says 20% coinsurance, you pay 20% of the allowed amount after the deductible.
- In-network
- We have a contract with your insurer, which means a lower negotiated rate and a smaller share for you. Out-of-network usually means a higher share — sometimes all of it.
- Explanation of benefits (EOB)
- Not a bill. It's your insurer's summary of what was billed, what they paid, and what's left. Read it, and call us if it doesn't match what we told you.
We verify your benefits and explain your expected out-of-pocket cost before therapy begins. If something changes mid-year, we'll tell you before it shows up on a statement.
Ohio law requires many state-regulated health plans to cover autism services. Self-funded employer plans follow different rules and aren't bound by that requirement — which is exactly why verification matters rather than assuming.
Payers: [PAYER_LIST]
- [PAYER LOGO 1]
- [PAYER LOGO 2]
- [PAYER LOGO 3]
- [PAYER LOGO 4]
- [PAYER LOGO 5]
2. Ohio Autism Scholarship Program (ASP)
The Autism Scholarship Program is state funding administered through the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. It pays for autism services from state-registered private providers for children ages 3 to 21 who have an autism diagnosis and a current IEP from their school district.
Award amounts run to roughly [AWARD_AMOUNT] per child per school year. Many families in Warren and Montgomery Counties have never heard of it, which is a shame, because for some children it covers the majority of a year of services.
1. Your child needs an IEP
The scholarship requires a current IEP from your district. If your child doesn't have one, that's the first step — request an evaluation from your district in writing.
2. Choose a registered provider
Services must be delivered by a provider registered with the state for this program.
3. Apply through the state
Families apply for the scholarship for the upcoming school year; your district is notified and confirms the IEP.
4. The district's obligation shifts
When a child is on the scholarship, the district is no longer responsible for providing the services on that IEP for that year. That's an important trade-off to understand before you apply.
[ASP_PROVIDER_STATUS — confirm Morgan Therapeutics' registered-provider status before publishing this section.]
3. Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship
The Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship is a parallel Ohio program for children who have an IEP and a qualifying disability other than — or in addition to — autism.
Families generally use one program or the other, not both. Which one fits depends on your child's diagnosis, the services on the IEP, and the award amount available. We'll help you work out which applies, free, whether or not you end up working with us.
4. Private pay and single-case agreements
Private pay
- Assessment: [RATE_PLACEHOLDER]
- BCBA hourly: [RATE_PLACEHOLDER]
- RBT direct therapy hourly: [RATE_PLACEHOLDER]
- Caregiver training hourly: [RATE_PLACEHOLDER]
Rates are given to you in writing before services start. No minimum-hours contract.
Single-case agreements
Most families have never heard of this one. When your plan has no in-network ABA provider with actual availability, your insurer can sometimes be persuaded to cover an out-of-network provider at in-network rates for your child specifically. That's a single-case agreement.
It isn't guaranteed, and it takes documentation and persistence. We'll make the request on your behalf and handle the follow-up.
Not sure which applies to you?
Call or send us a message and someone will walk you through it — for free, with no obligation to become a client. Funding is the part families get stuck on, and untangling it is genuinely part of our job.
Ask a funding questionLet's start with a conversation.
Fifteen minutes, no obligation. Tell us what's going on, and we'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit — and what to do next if we aren't.