Denver, CO – October 20, 2026 – The Denver-based in-home provider says most families on Colorado Medicaid pay nothing, files the state’s prior authorization for them, and has counted the state’s own provider list so parents know what to expect in their county.

Colorado parents looking for ABA that accepts Medicaid have a plain answer from Budding Futures. The practice provides ABA services covered by Medicaid through Health First Colorado, the state’s Medicaid program, in family homes and schools in every county. Most families pay $0, the practice files the approval request the state requires, and it has no waitlist right now.

Does Medicaid cover ABA in Colorado?

Yes. Health First Colorado pays for ABA through a benefit it calls Pediatric Behavioral Therapies. The state’s providers page sets two conditions: the member is 20 years of age and younger, and the services meet the EPSDT medical necessity criteria. EPSDT is the federal rule that gives children on Medicaid a wider set of health benefits than adults get.

A child does not need an autism diagnosis to get it. The state’s own page on the benefit answers the question directly: “Does my child have to have a diagnosis of Autism to qualify for the services? No. Behavioral therapy is available to all children currently eligible for Health First Colorado when the service is medically necessary.” The child’s doctor decides whether the therapy is medically necessary, and a referral from that doctor goes in with the request.

Budding Futures is enrolled with the state under Provider Types 83 and 84, which lets the benefit pay for sessions at a family’s home anywhere in the state.

What Medicaid covered ABA costs a family

On Medicaid, most Budding Futures families pay $0. There is no copay for sessions, and the practice does not balance-bill, so a family is never sent a bill for the difference between the provider’s rate and what the state pays. Families with private insurance coverage, such as Aetna, Cigna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare, Kaiser and TRICARE, usually pay between $0 and $1,000 out of pocket over a year, depending on their deductible and copays. Private pay runs about $120 to $150 an hour.

How approval works, and who does the paperwork

Every course of ABA under the benefit needs approval before the first session. The approval is called a prior authorization request, or PAR, and the provider files it, not the parent. Budding Futures starts with a free consultation call within one business day, helps the family get a referral that says what the state needs, then sends a Board Certified Behavior Analyst to assess the child at home with a standardized tool. The assessment, the referral and the plan of care go in with the PAR.

Licensed clinical reviewers at the state’s utilization management vendor check each request against the state’s criteria. The state says each approved PAR is valid for up to six months, after which the provider files the next one with the child’s progress data. Before a request is denied, the state calls the doctor who requested it for a peer-to-peer review, and a family can appeal a denial to the Office of Administrative Courts within 30 calendar days of the denial letter. Budding Futures handles the renewals and the peer-to-peer step as part of the service.

How many Medicaid ABA providers serve each Colorado county

The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing keeps a public list of every provider enrolled for the benefit. Budding Futures counted it on October 18, 2026: 186 entries and 183 providers, 148 of which offer home-based therapy. Counting an entry for a city when the state’s “Areas served” line names the city or its county, Denver has 88 providers, Aurora 66, Colorado Springs 59, Boulder 52, Fort Collins 23, Pueblo 19 and Grand Junction 7, with 15 more entries listed as statewide.

The list does not say who has an opening or who takes toddlers. It says who can bill the state. Budding Futures is on it and serves every county on the list, including the Western Slope, where Grand Junction families have seven named providers to choose from.

What families get with Budding Futures

Budding Futures provides ABA at home and in school for children and teens on the autism spectrum, from 18 months through 18 years. Sessions happen where the hard parts of a child’s day happen: breakfast, getting dressed, the school bus, dinner and bedtime. Evening sessions run until 8 PM, and weekend sessions are available. Sessions can also take place at daycare, preschool or in the community when the setting allows it, and in school in districts that grant access.

Rachel Blackburn, BCBA, the practice’s Clinical Director, writes and reviews every treatment plan. Plans are built from two standardized assessments, the VB-MAPP and the ABLLS-R, and progress is checked against them. A BCBA supervises about 20% of therapy hours, four times the national board’s minimum. Each child works with the same registered behavior technician (RBT) from week to week, and parent coaching makes up 10 to 20% of the hours, so the plan keeps working after the therapist leaves. Feeding, sleep and toileting goals are common, and brothers and sisters are welcome to join in.

Care is play-based and assent-based, using Natural Environment Teaching. The practice holds a 5.0 rating from 17 reviews on its Google Business Profile.

“Colorado families shouldn’t have to wait months for help after an autism diagnosis,” said Mark Hirsch, Director of Budding Futures ABA Therapy. “We built Budding Futures so children can start high-quality, in-home ABA therapy quickly, with strong BCBA supervision, play-based teaching in real daily routines, and real parent coaching.”

Medicaid plus private insurance, the CES waiver, and the Children’s Buy-In

Three situations come up on almost every first call. A child with both Medicaid and a private plan has the private plan billed first and the state second, and Budding Futures handles that coordination of benefits. A child on the Children’s Extensive Support waiver keeps every regular benefit, so ABA does not wait for the waiver. And a family that earns too much for regular Medicaid may still cover a child with a disability through the Children’s Buy-In, which charges a monthly premium based on income.

How to start ABA with Colorado Medicaid

Families can read how coverage works, including who qualifies, the approval steps and the provider count by county, at buddingfuturesaba.com/aba-therapy-medicaid-colorado. City pages for Denver, Colorado Springs and Grand Junction carry each county’s Medicaid region and provider count, and the full list of counties, towns and ZIP codes served is at buddingfuturesaba.com/locations. To book a free consultation, call (720) 613-8837, email [email protected], or visit buddingfuturesaba.com.

About Budding Futures

Budding Futures ABA Therapy provides in-home and school-based applied behavior analysis for children with autism, from toddlers to teens, across the state from its office in Denver. Care is play-based and assent-based. A behavior analyst writes every plan, and the practice accepts Health First Colorado (Medicaid), Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and other major insurance plans. There is no waitlist as of October 2026.

Media contact

Mark Hirsch, Director

Budding Futures ABA Therapy

7900 East Union Ave, Suite 1100, Denver, CO 80237

(720) 613-8837

[email protected]

https://www.buddingfuturesaba.com

Media Contact
Company Name: Budding Futures ABA Therapy
Contact Person: Mark Hirsch, Director
Email: Send Email
Phone: (720) 613-8837
Address:7900 East Union Ave Suite 1100
City: Denver
State: CO
Country: United States
Website: https://www.buddingfuturesaba.com/