ABA Medicaid rates in Maine are built on HCPCS codes rather than the 97151 to 97158 series: MaineCare pays $27.87 per 15 minutes for technician-level ABA under code H2021, with modifiers U1 and HK, effective 2026-01-01. Maine has no 97153 rate on file, so its technician rate sits outside the national 97153 ranking, where the median is $63.44 an hour across 44 states.
The one Maine rate that is ranked is caregiver training, billed under T1027 at $118.52 an hour. That places Maine 11th of 43 states, 25.0% above the national median of $94.80. All rates below are compiled from official MaineCare publications and link to their source documents on the Maine Medicaid rates hub.
MaineCare ABA reimbursement: three published rates
| Service | Code and modifiers | Rate | National comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technician-level ABA | H2021 (U1, HK) | $27.87 per 15 min | not ranked; 97153 median $63.44 an hour |
| Technician-level group ABA | H2021 (U1, HK, UP) | $10.82 per 15 min | not ranked; 97154 median $29.96 an hour |
| Caregiver training | T1027 (HA) | $29.63 per 15 min, $118.52 an hour | 11 of 43, +25.0% |
All three rates took effect 2026-01-01. Our data has no MaineCare rate for analyst protocol modification (97155), analyst assessment (97151), technician-assisted assessment (97152) or analyst-led groups (97158).
What the H2021 structure means for an agency
Most states bill ABA through the CPT series, and the national comparisons for 97153, 97155 and 97151 are built on that series. Maine uses H2021 for technician-level ABA, distinguished by modifiers: U1 and HK for individual services, with UP added for group services. That has four practical consequences:
- Billing systems need Maine-specific code and modifier rules. An agency operating in several states cannot reuse its 97153 setup in Maine.
- Rate comparisons need care. Maine's $27.87 per 15-minute unit is not in the national per-hour ranking, so it should be read against the national medians directly rather than by rank.
- Group work has its own modifier. The UP modifier turns the H2021 service into a group service at $10.82 per 15 minutes, against $27.87 for individual work. Group rates are generally paid per participant, so revenue per staff hour depends on attendance; agencies should confirm the group-size rules before scheduling.
- Analyst time must be mapped. With no published 97155 or 97151 rate on file, agencies should confirm how MaineCare reimburses BCBA assessment and treatment direction before staffing.
Caregiver training under T1027
Maine's best-documented rate is caregiver training. At $29.63 per 15 minutes, or $118.52 an hour, it ranks 11th of 43 states. The national leaders are Rhode Island ($219.88, also under T1027), Hawaii ($184.80) and Alaska ($167.88); the lowest are New Hampshire ($65.72), Idaho ($47.96 under T1027) and Louisiana ($21.00).
At the Maine analyst proxy wage of $28.83 an hour, wages take 34.6% of the T1027 rate, leaving $77.54 an hour after a loaded wage. That is a solid margin for family-training work, and it makes caregiver training one of the better-documented revenue lines for an ABA agency in Maine.
Prior authorization: a dense MaineCare rule set
MaineCare's coverage rules are dense:
- H2021: 16 prior-authorization rules.
- T1027: 59 prior-authorization rules.
No unit limits are published. The T1027 count is far higher than the H2021 count, and it signals a detailed, condition-heavy authorization process for caregiver training. Agencies should treat authorization as a dedicated function in Maine rather than a side task for clinicians, and build documentation templates that address each condition.
Wages for Maine ABA staff
Maine's wage data sits slightly above national levels. The median wage for the closest comparable technician occupation was $22.94 an hour in May 2025, against $22.08 nationally; the analyst proxy was $28.83, against $28.53. Both are proxy occupations and understate pay for credentialed RBTs and BCBAs.
Because the H2021 technician rate is not converted to an hourly figure on our data, no wage-share or margin figure is published for it here. Agencies should model it from the 15-minute unit rate and their own expected billable hours.
MaineCare programs relevant to autism services
Maine's programs on file are all fee-for-service. They include MaineCare fee-for-service and several waivers administered under the MaineCare Benefits Manual, among them Home and Community Based Services for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities or Autism Spectrum Disorder (Section 21) and Support Services for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities or Autism Spectrum Disorder (Section 29). Our data records no managed-care service-line rule for ABA, so the MaineCare schedule is the operative rate. Seven plans are on file; the Maine managed-care page lists them.
How Maine compares with the ABA leaders
On 97153, the national leaders are Alaska ($127.80), Georgia ($123.64) and Iowa ($114.36), and the lowest are Louisiana ($40.00) and New York ($38.52). Maine sits outside that ranking because of its H2021 coding. For a New England operator, compare Massachusetts's ABA rates, which use the CPT series. The national ABA rates hub and our methodology explain how states that bill under HCPCS codes are compared.
Updated 2026-10-05