ORANGE COUNTY – Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 2233 by Assemblyman Tri Ta (R-Westminster) to ensure Californians with autism do not lose access to behavioral treatment that has already been prescribed by a healthcare provider and approved by a treatment plan.
Before AB 2233, families receiving behavioral health treatment, including applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy, could lose access to treatment that had already been approved; if an appointment was missed due to unavoidable circumstances, those treatment hours would be lost.
AB 2233 addresses this critical barrier that families face to receive ABA therapy. Under this new law, health plans and insurers cannot place restrictions that prevent patients from using approved treatment hours during the treatment plan’s six-month authorization period—as long as accessing treatment remains reasonably consistent with the treatment plan and clinical guidelines.
“Families should not lose access to medically necessary treatment that has already been prescribed and approved simply because of scheduling challenges, illness, provider availability, or other circumstances outside their control,” said Assemblyman Ta. “AB 2233 is a commonsense reform that helps make sure an authorization for care actually means an opportunity to receive that care.”
Thanks to AB 2233, families of children with autism will no longer face the significant challenges of accessing approved treatment hours due to missed appointments. AB 2233 ensures approved treatment hours remain available throughout the treatment’s six-month authorization period while clarifying that health plans can still conduct utilization reviews to ensure that the patient gets the care they need and to protect against fraud or inappropriate use of treatment.
This measure received bipartisan support in the Legislature, passing both houses without opposition.
“Parents of children with autism already have enough obstacles to navigate,” Ta added. “Accessing care that has already been approved should not be one of them.”
AB 2233 will take effect January 1, 2027.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
AB 2233 recognizes that autism treatment should be individualized to the needs of each child, rather than constrained by arbitrary weekly limits. By allowing families and providers to use authorized treatment hours flexibly throughout the six-month authorization period, this bill will help ensure that children can receive the medically necessary care they need when it is clinically appropriate.
-Dr. Rebecca Thompson, Vice President of Advocacy for Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST)
Working with Assemblymember Ta and his team to move this monumental bill forward was incredibly rewarding, and it was an honor to be part of that effort. AB 2233 lets our clients access care in the way that best fits their lives, so they can fully engage in programming and reach their best outcomes. We’re grateful to Assemblymember Ta and his office for including us in this change.
-Jessica Rountree, Senior Clinical Supervisor and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) at The Stepping Stones Group
AB 2233 will help ensure children with autism can receive full access to the behavioral health treatment that has been authorized and determined to be medically necessary. Families should not lose essential treatment hours simply because a session is missed due to illness, a family emergency, or provider availability. By allowing authorized service hours to be used more flexibly within the authorization period, this new law will help improve continuity of care and remove unnecessary barriers to treatment. We appreciate Assemblymember Ta’s leadership on this important issue for children with autism and their families.
– Dr. J. Thomas Megerian, Clinical Director, Thompson Autism and Neurodevelopmental Center; Chief, Division of Neurodevelopmental Medicine at Rady Children’s Health Orange County
The Board is pleased the Governor has signed AB 2233 into law. The Board was proud to support AB 2233 and its efforts to improve access to autism related services for California consumers and preserve clinical decision-making by providers during treatment. AB 2233 will strengthen the continuity of behavioral health care for individuals with autism by ensuring treatment is not disrupted by restrictive caps on authorized treatment hours.
-Joint Statement from the California Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology & Hearing Aid Dispensers Board
