Arizona: Families suing over loss of Medicaid funds for ABA
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Feb 14, 2026, AZ Family: Families file lawsuit over Arizona Medicaid to keep autism coverage
Eleven families seek court injunction to prevent loss of therapy services in March
Eleven families have filed a class-action lawsuit against Arizona’s Medicaid program to prevent the loss of autism therapy services for thousands of children.
The lawsuit targets the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS).
It seeks an immediate court injunction to stop the termination of contracts with two of the state’s largest applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy providers.
Mercy Care and Arizona Complete Health announced they would cut ties with providers like Action Behavior Centers, with the suspension taking effect in March.
Families describe therapy as essential
Melissa Fernandez, whose son Collin was diagnosed with level 3 autism at age 2, said the potential loss of services would be devastating.
“It was hard to even bring him out of the house. Scary even,” Fernandez said. “He’s completely nonverbal, so that was really hard trying to figure out what he was trying to convey.”
Fernandez found Action Behavior Centers to provide ABA therapy for her son and said the treatment has been transformative.
“It really brought him out of his shell and made him more aware of the world around him. It has him participate in everyday things like sitting at the table and eating with us,” she said.
Lawsuit seeks continuity of care
The families are asking the Maricopa County Superior Court to halt the contract terminations before thousands lose access to care. . . .
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