ABA Medicaid rates in Alaska are the highest in the country for technician-delivered therapy: Alaska Medicaid pays $127.80 an hour for code 97153, ranking 1st of 42 states and sitting 101.5% above the national median of $63.44. The rate is $31.95 per 15-minute unit and has been in effect since 2026-07-01.
That figure is the product of a large July 2026 update. For an ABA agency deciding where to open or expand, Alaska now pays 101.5% above the national median for the hour that drives most billing, and it pays near the top on every analyst code as well. Every rate below is compiled from official state Medicaid publications and links to its source document on the Alaska Medicaid rates hub.
The 40.93% autism services increase behind the number
The single most important fact on our data is the "Medicaid Procedure Codes and Rates - Autism Services effective 2026-07-01" schedule, which carries a 40.93% change. The prior year's update, effective 2025-07-01, was 3.19%. In other words, Alaska's ABA schedule moved from a routine adjustment to a step change in a single year.
The regulatory trail around the increase:
- Notice of proposed changes on Medicaid payment rates for behavioral health services (OPN 222666), published 2026-02-12.
- 2026 Annual Rate Update - Notice of Medicaid State Plan Amendment (OPN 224328), published 2026-06-30, effective 2026-07-01.
- CMS approval - Alaska SPA AK-26-0007, published 2026-09-04, effective 2026-07-01.
- CMS approval - Alaska SPA AK-25-0008, published 2026-07-09, covering the 2025-07-01 update.
Because CMS approved the 2026 amendment after the effective date, agencies billing between July and September 2026 should confirm that claims paid at the new rate and reconcile any that did not.
Alaska Medicaid ABA reimbursement for analysts: one rate, three codes
Alaska pays the same unit rate, $41.97 per 15 minutes or $167.88 an hour, for analyst protocol modification, assessment and caregiver training. That flat structure is unusual, and it ranks differently depending on the code because other states treat those services differently.
| Code | Alaska per hour | Rank | vs national median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 97153 technician therapy | $127.80 | 1 of 42 | +101.5% |
| 97155 analyst plan changes | $167.88 | 2 of 41 | +66.2% |
| 97156 caregiver training | $167.88 | 3 of 43 | +77.1% |
| 97151 analyst assessment | $167.88 | 7 of 41 | +44.0% |
| 97158 analyst-led group | $60.76 | 4 of 30 | +62.9% |
| 97154 technician-led group | $45.88 | 10 of 37 | +53.1% |
Only Vermont pays more on 97155 ($197.40). On caregiver training, Rhode Island ($219.88, billed under T1027) and Hawaii ($184.80) are ahead. On assessment, the leaders are New Mexico ($450.60), Vermont, Minnesota, Delaware and Kansas, so Alaska's assessment rate is strong but not exceptional.
Group therapy is the one area where Alaska is merely above average. Technician-led groups at $11.47 a unit ($45.88 an hour) rank 10th, well behind Georgia ($123.64) and Iowa ($114.36), which pay their full individual rate for groups. Alaska's sheet shows no rate for technician-assisted assessment (97152).
Wages and margin per hour for Alaska ABA agencies
Alaska's wage data sits above the national figures, but far less than the rate premium does. The Alaska median for the closest comparable technician occupation was $22.77 an hour in May 2025, against $22.08 nationally. For the analyst proxy occupation, Alaska's median was $38.83 against $28.53 nationally. Neither role has its own federal occupation code, so these are floors rather than market pay for credentialed RBTs and BCBAs.
The economics that follow:
- Technician hour (97153): the median wage is 25.3% of the $127.80 rate, leaving $95.44 an hour after a loaded wage.
- Analyst hour (97155, 97151, 97156): the wage is 32.9% of the $167.88 rate, leaving $112.69 an hour.
That margin has to cover travel, which in Alaska can be substantial, plus cancellations, supervision that is not separately billable, scheduling and administration. Even so, few states leave this much room. It also gives Alaska agencies latitude to pay well above the proxy wage to recruit credentialed staff.
Coverage rules and prior authorization
The coverage rules on file list 0 prior-authorization rules and no unit limits for any of the ABA codes Alaska pays: 97151, 97153, 97154, 97155, 97156, 97158 and T1027. That does not mean services are unmanaged; it means no code-level authorization rule or quantity cap appears in the published schedules. Agencies should still follow treatment-plan and medical-necessity documentation requirements in the state's program manuals.
Managed care and who pays ABA in Alaska
Alaska runs ABA through fee-for-service. The payers named on file are Alaska Medicaid (all enrollees, FFS) and Denali KidCare CHIP, and the programs on file are administered by the Department of Health and its divisions, including the Division of Behavioral Health. No managed-care service-line rule applies to ABA, so the published fee schedule is the rate an agency receives. The Alaska managed-care page shows the payers on file.
How Alaska compares with the top and bottom states
Alaska leads a short group of states paying more than $110 an hour on 97153: Georgia at $123.64, Iowa at $114.36 and the District of Columbia at $110.00. At the other end, Louisiana pays $40.00 and New York $38.52, and West Virginia's technician figure of $10.00 is billed under H2014.
For a multi-state operator, the gap is the story: an hour of technician therapy in Alaska pays $127.80 against New York's $38.52. Georgia is the closest peer on both the technician and analyst ladders; compare it on the Georgia ABA rates page, and see the national ABA rates hub for every state on the same per-hour basis. Our methodology explains how 15-minute units are converted and how ranks are set.
Updated 2026-10-05