Alaska Medicaid ABA Reimbursement Rates (2026)
From official Alaska Medicaid sources. Updated July 2026.
These are the published Alaska Medicaid rates for applied behavior analysis (ABA) services. Rates are shown as published. For per-15-minute rows, multiply by 4 for the hourly rate; rows priced per hour, per session, or per assessment are labeled in the table.
Alaska ABA Fee Schedule
| Code | Service | Rate | Unit | Effective | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97151 | Behavior identification assessment by QHP FY26 rate; 3.2% inflation adjustment over FY25 | $29.78 | per 15 min | 2025-07-01 | source |
| 97153 | Adaptive behavior treatment by protocol, by technician FY26 rate; no tech-vs-BCBA tiering in Alaska | $22.63 | per 15 min | 2025-07-01 | source |
| 97154 | Group adaptive behavior treatment by protocol, by technician (multiple patients) Group code, priced per 15 min (schedule does not state per-participant) | $9.04 | per 15 min | 2025-07-01 | source |
| 97155 | Adaptive behavior treatment with protocol modification, by QHP Same rate as 97151 (QHP tier) | $29.78 | per 15 min | 2025-07-01 | source |
| 97156 | Family adaptive behavior treatment guidance, by QHP With or without patient present | $18.69 | per 15 min | 2025-07-01 | source |
| 97157 | Multiple-family group adaptive behavior treatment guidance, by QHP Without patient present; group code priced per 15 min | $7.47 | per 15 min | 2025-07-01 | source |
| 97158 | Group adaptive behavior treatment with protocol modification, by QHP Group code priced per 15 min | $11.91 | per 15 min | 2025-07-01 | source |
How Alaska Compares
| Code | Alaska | National median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 97151 | $29.78 | $29.14 | 2% above national median |
| 97153 | $22.63 | $15.00 | 51% above national median |
| 97155 | $29.78 | $24.18 | 23% above national median |
| 97156 | $18.69 | $22.50 | 17% below national median |
Market Context
Alaska has had an autism insurance mandate since 2012. About 85,271 children in Alaska are enrolled in Medicaid. Autism prevalence is 3.5% (2022 data). ProviderSpark lists 27 verified ABA provider locations in Alaska.
Getting Paneled with Alaska Medicaid
Alaska doesn’t brand its Medicaid program the way some states do (no “TennCare,” no “Medi-Cal” — the children’s CHIP piece is called Denali KidCare). Autism/ABA is covered as the “Autism Services” benefit inside Medicaid Behavioral Health Services, governed by 7 AAC 135.300 (who can bill) and 7 AAC 135.350 (what’s covered). Enrollment runs through these steps:
- Confirm your provider type: a Licensed Behavior Analyst enrolls as an independent provider; a Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst enrolls as a rendering provider; autism behavior technicians need RBT, BICC, or department-approved equivalent registration. See the Behavior Analyst Program.
- Enroll through the Alaska Medical Assistance (AK MMIS) Health Enterprise Provider Portal, choosing individual or group enrollment.
- Follow the enrollment guide. Every rendering provider — the behavior analyst, each assistant behavior analyst, and each technician — must be enrolled separately, even though technician and assistant pay routes through the supervising behavior analyst.
- Complete the required barrier-crimes criminal history check (AS 47.05.300–.390, 7 AAC 10.900–.990). The department will not pay for services if this check was never requested or was failed.
- For enrollment status, contact the Medicaid fiscal agent at AK-enrollment@gainwelltechnologies.com.
How Alaska Delivers ABA
Alaska Medicaid pays for ABA on a fee-for-service basis — there are no managed care organizations administering the autism benefit. One payer, one set of rules, no MCO-by-MCO rate or authorization variation to track. It also means there’s no panel to shop between for a better rate; the state rate is the rate.
Billing Notes
Baseline autism service hours are capped before you need prior authorization: 1,040 hours per 6-month period combined for individual and group adaptive behavior treatment by protocol, 52 hours per 6-month period for treatment-by-protocol modification, 12 family guidance sessions per 12-month period, and one behavior identification reassessment per 6-month period. Past those caps, you need a written prior-authorization extension request, documented in the clinical record, plus (for patients under 18) a statement that the treatment team recommended the additional services.
Telehealth is reimbursed at parity with in-person care at the general Medicaid level, under HB 265 and its implementing regulations (7 AAC 110.620–.639): same rate regardless of location or modality. Alaska has not published autism-specific language confirming individual ABA codes are telehealth-eligible, so treat this as the general parity rule, not an ABA-specific carve-in.
The billing quirk to plan for: Alaska requires separate Medicaid enrollment for every individual delivering services — the supervising behavior analyst as an independent provider, plus each assistant behavior analyst and technician as a rendering provider — even though technician and assistant pay flows through the supervising behavior analyst. Combined with the RBT/BICC credential requirement, practices commonly see a real lag between hiring a technician and that technician generating billable hours.
Common Questions
What does Alaska Medicaid pay for CPT 97153?
Alaska Medicaid pays $22.63 per 15 minutes for 97153 (direct treatment by a technician). That is about $90.52 per hour.
What are the main ABA CPT codes?
97151 is the assessment. 97153 is direct treatment by a technician. 97155 is treatment with protocol modification by the BCBA. 97156 is family guidance.
Are these Alaska rates current?
Rates come from the state fee schedule and were last checked July 2026. Each row links to its source. Always confirm against the current fee schedule before billing.
Compare neighboring states: Washington · Oregon · Hawaii