Why does Florida spend so much money on treatment for children with autism and special needs?

By: Christine Sexton

Outlets: Florida Phoenix

Published: August 17, 2026

Words: 1,344

Last Updated: 1 day, 5 hours ago

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Florida in the past two years has spent more money than any other state in the nation providing a therapy called applied behavior analysis (ABA) to children with special needs including autism — $6.57 billion between 2023 and 2025.

That’s the number Shena Grantham, Florida’s deputy secretary for Medicaid policy and quality, gave to members of a blue-ribbon panel in Tallahassee this week reviewing ABA services in the Medicaid program that covers about 55,000 children …

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