围绕佐治亚州寄养儿童自闭症疗法削减经费的争端正在州议会大厦升级，一名共和党议员和各家庭目前正呼吁撤销30%的报销比例削减，倡导者警告称儿童可能会失去来之不易的进展。
A fight over cuts to autism therapy for Georgia foster children is escalating at the state Capitol, with a Republican lawmaker and families now calling for the 30% reimbursement reduction to be reversed as advocates warn children could lose hard-earned progress.
州参议员布赖恩·斯特里克兰（共和党-麦克多诺）周四与家长和医疗服务提供商一起，要求对应用行为分析（ABA）疗法的报销费率下调采取行动。该下调于9月1日起通过管理佐治亚州寄养系统儿童医疗白内障保障的安美瑞集团（Amerigroup）生效。
State Sen. Brian Strickland, R-McDonough, joined parents and providers Thursday to demand action over a reduction in reimbursement rates for applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy that went into effect Sept. 1 through Amerigroup, which administers Medicaid coverage for children in Georgia's foster care system.
斯特里克兰对《福克斯新闻数字频道》表示：“作为一名自闭症儿童家长，我深知ABA疗法对一个家庭和佐治亚州寄养儿童意味着什么，这也是为什么我站在议会大厦明确表示这些削减是不可辩护的。”
"As a parent of a child with autism, I know what ABA therapy means for a family and Georgia's foster children, which is why I stood at the Capitol to make clear that these cuts are indefensible," Strickland told Fox News Digital.
正在竞选州总检察长的斯特里克兰还承诺，如果当选，将追究相关公司的责任。
Strickland, who is running for state attorney general, also pledged to hold companies accountable if elected.
此前，《福克斯新闻数字频道》本月早些时候率先报道称，自闭症倡导者担心，作为特朗普政府打击医疗白内障欺诈的非预期后果，报销比例下调可能会迫使医疗服务提供商停止治疗寄养儿童，在此之后，政治阻力随之出现。
The political pushback comes after Fox News Digital first reported earlier this month that autism advocates feared the reduction could force providers to stop treating foster children as an unintended consequence of the Trump administration's Medicaid fraud crackdown.
自闭症家庭联盟（Autism Families Alliance）的泰勒·桑德斯周六对《福克斯新闻数字频道》表示，自削减措施生效以来，家庭和临床医生越来越开始发声，并强调“时间对这些家庭至关重要”。
Taylor Sanders of the Autism Families Alliance told Fox News Digital on Saturday that families and clinicians have increasingly begun speaking out since the cuts took effect, emphasizing that "time is crucial to these families."
桑德斯说：“在孩子没有接受服务的每一刻，我们都看到他们在可能的沟通和安全技能方面出现倒退。也许我们看到其中一些具有挑战性的行为有所增加。”桑德斯此前曾警告称，由于这些削减，多达75%的诊所可能会关闭或停止为寄养儿童服务。
"Every moment where their child is not receiving services, we're seeing a regression in possible communication, safety skills," Sanders said. "Maybe we're seeing an increase in some of those challenging behaviors." Sanders previously warned that as many as 75% of clinics could close or stop serving foster children because of the cuts.
她描述了一个家庭，其3岁的孩子在接受ABA疗法后开始第一次开口说话，而孩子的母亲现在担心失去获得治疗的机会。
She described a family whose 3-year-old child had begun using words for the first time after receiving ABA therapy and whose mother now fears losing access to treatment.
桑德斯在回忆他们最近的谈话时说：“她当时泪流满面，非常担心和沮丧。”
"She was in absolute tears and so worried and frustrated," Sanders said, recalling their recent conversation.
桑德斯解释说，这位母亲担心失去持续的一对一治疗，她认为正是这种治疗帮助孩子开始沟通。
The mother, Sanders explained, fears losing the consistent one-on-one therapy that she said helped the child begin communicating.
桑德斯表示，该儿童没有接受足够的治疗来确保这些新学到的沟通技能能够在不同的环境中得以保持。
Sanders said the child had not received enough therapy to ensure those newly learned communication skills could be maintained across different settings.
自闭症家庭联盟的凯尔西·贝内特对《福克斯新闻数字频道》表示：“对于这些孩子和他们的家庭来说，时间很重要。没有关键护理的每一天都有可能逆转来之不易的进展，并限制继续发展的机会。”
"For these children and their families, time matters," Kelsey Bennett of the Autism Families Alliance told Fox News Digital. "Every day without critical care risks reversing hard-earned progress and limiting opportunities for continued development."
贝内特补充道：“撤销削减。”倡导者不仅呼吁重新考虑削减措施，还呼吁让家庭、临床医生和其他利益相关者参与到政策审查中，而不是依赖一刀切的方法。
Bennett added, "Reverse the cuts." Advocates are calling not only for the cuts to be reconsidered, but also for families, clinicians and other stakeholders to be involved in reviewing the policy rather than relying on a blanket approach.
安美瑞集团在给福克斯第5频道亚特兰大台（FOX 5 Atlanta）的一份声明中表示，该公司根据服务复杂性和临床专业知识重新平衡了ABA报销费率，提高了治疗规划和照顾者参与服务的费率，同时降低了某些由技术人员提供的服务的费率。该公司还表示，持证临床医生的费率没有下降，且医疗上必要的自闭症服务仍在保障范围内。
In a statement to FOX 5 Atlanta, Amerigroup said it rebalanced ABA reimbursement rates based on service complexity and clinical expertise, increasing rates for treatment planning and caregiver-engagement services while decreasing rates for some technician-delivered services. The company also said rates for licensed clinicians did not decrease and that medically necessary autism services remain covered.
作为回应，桑德斯强调，削减影响了提供大量一对一护理的技术人员。
In response, Sanders emphasized that the reductions affected technicians who provide much of the one-on-one care.
桑德斯说：“仅仅把一些东西写在纸上，并不意味着它在临床上有效，或者这些孩子能够获得护理，因为公司现在可能不得不对这些人关门大吉，因为他们承担不起费率削减。”桑德斯重申了她对治疗中断儿童潜在长期后果的担忧。
"Just because we put something down on paper doesn't mean that it's gonna be clinically effective or that these children are gonna be able to access care because companies are now having to maybe close their doors to these individuals because they can't afford the rate cut," Sanders said.
桑德斯说：“失去的进展极其难以恢复，这是我们在这里面临的最大担忧。在从家庭脚下抽走地毯之前重新考虑。在做出重大削减之前，开始让临床医生参与进来，让家庭参与进来。”
Sanders reiterated her concerns about the potential long-term consequences for children whose therapy is interrupted.
《福克斯新闻数字频道》已联系安美瑞集团和医疗保险与医疗白内障服务中心（Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services）以获得进一步评论。
"Progress lost is extremely hard to come back from, which is the biggest concern that we're facing here," Sanders said. "Reconsider before ripping the rug from families. Start to involve the clinicians, involve families before making major cuts." Fox News Digital has reached out to Amerigroup and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for additional comment.