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How much does ABA therapy cost?

The cost comes from the rate and the hours a week, with ABA billed in 15-minute units. Paying on your own, ABA therapy often runs about $120 to $150 each hour. That range comes from the ABA provider Behavioral Innovations.

  • $120 to $150an hour, paying yourself
  • A month at 40 hours a week costs $20,800+.
A therapy billing statement beside a calculator and a pen

How much Medicaid pays per hour, state by state

The state Medicaid rates listed here cover ABA that a technician delivers (code 97153). Approved hours usually cost families on Medicaid nothing.

StatePer 15 minutesPer hour40 hours a week, per monthCity cost pages
Texas$14.50$58$10,053Houston, San Antonio, Dallas
Arizona$17.91$71.64$12,418Phoenix
North Carolina$20.81$83.24$14,428Charlotte
Illinois$13$52$9,013Chicago
Florida$12.26$49.04$8,500Orlando, Miami, Tampa
Georgia$15.58$62.32$10,802Atlanta

To work out a month, divide 52 weeks by 12. Each city cost page lists its sources and the schedule year.

Billing codes you'll see on your statement

97151
A behavior identification assessment is billed per 15 minutes and is done by a physician or another qualified professional, such as a behavior analyst. Source: Cigna Healthcare (Evernorth).
97153
Protocol-based adaptive behavior treatment is given by a technician under a professional's direction. That technician can be a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). Charges come in 15-minute units. Sources: Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Cigna Healthcare (Evernorth).
97155
Adaptive behavior treatment with protocol modification, billed per 15 minutes, applies when the qualified professional works alongside the child and updates the plan. Sources: Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Cigna Healthcare (Evernorth).
97156
Guidance on adaptive behavior treatment for families is billed per 15 minutes. Parents or caregivers get coaching from the qualified professional, and the child may or may not be there. Sources: Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Cigna Healthcare (Evernorth).

If you have private insurance

First, you pay your deductible. After that, each session costs you a copay or a share of the cost (coinsurance). You keep paying this way until you hit the out-of-pocket maximum set by your plan for the year. Once you reach that maximum, which can happen quickly at 20 or more hours a week, the remainder of the year is covered.

Does my insurance cover ABA?

If you pay yourself

Contact each provider to ask what it charges per hour for technicians and for analysts, plus whether the assessment is billed on its own.

For diagnosis: in the US, a private-pay autism evaluation usually costs $1,000 to $5,000. Most often, a full evaluation costs $2,000 to $3,000, according to Strides Therapeutics. Taken from Strides Therapeutics.

ABA therapy cost in your city, with a calculator