News outlet says UnitedHealthcare limited ‘critical’ care for kids with autism [Video]

UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest health insurer whose CEO was murdered earlier this month, is accused in a new article of actively working to reduce access to a treatment deemed “critical” for kids with autism.

A report from ProPublica claims UnitedHealthcare is strategically limiting access to applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy for autistic patients as a way to cut costs. The report was based on internal documents the outlet obtained that purportedly show the company’s strategy, developed by its mental health benefits division, Optum.

According to the report, UnitedHealthcare acknowledges ABA as the “evidence-based gold standard treatment for those with medically necessary needs,” but the company aims to “prevent new providers” of the therapy from joining its network and removing existing ones despite “very long waitlists” for the treatment in some areas.

The report claims Optum’s strategy specifically targets kids insured through Medicaid, a federal program administered through states that provides health coverage to people with …