---
title: "Georgia Just Cut Foster ABA Rates 30% — Who Feels It First?"
author: Liat Sacks
date: 2026-10-09
updated: 2026-10-09
url: https://pairaba.com/blog-posts/georgia-foster-aba-rate-cut-who-feels-it-first.html
publisher: Pair ABA
summary: "Girl. You’re interviewing at a Georgia clinic. Then someone mentions, “Yeah, we take Medicaid foster kids.”"
---

# Georgia Just Cut Foster ABA Rates 30% — Who Feels It First?

By Liat Sacks, Founder, Pair ABA · October 9, 2026

**Before the tea:** What follows is a recap of **public reporting** from Georgia Recorder (2026-10-05) and Medicaid Monitor (2026-10-07) — not Pair’s opinion, and not a roast of any clinic. Corrections: **contact@pairaba.com**.

Girl. You’re interviewing at a Georgia clinic. Then someone mentions, “Yeah, we take Medicaid foster kids.”

Here’s the question worth asking: When Medicaid reimbursement rates changed, did clinician pay change with them?

**What happened**

Amerigroup, the Medicaid plan serving foster children in Georgia, announced changes to its ABA reimbursement rates. Effective September 1, reimbursement for some direct ABA services dropped by **30%**, while parent-training rates increased.

State Rep. Lee Hawkins has been citing industry surveys: about **75%** of affected clinics expect to reduce or stop serving foster kids within three months. More than **90%** expect to reduce or stop taking new patients.

**Why clinicians feel it first**

Rate cuts land on schedules, overtime math, and whether your hours still look like a paycheck.

**Three questions before you sign (or stay)**

**1. How do you protect clinician pay when a major payer cuts rates?**

**2. What happens to caseloads if foster / Amerigroup volume drops?**

**3. What’s your Medicaid / foster mix right now, and how are you adjusting?**

If those answers are crisp, a Medicaid-heavy shop can still be a green flag. If they’re hand-wavy, the mission statement won’t cover your rent.

**Pair’s Take**

Pair screens clinics the way the floor screens clinics: pay protection, caseload honesty, and whether leadership can say the plan out loud without sweating. Georgia’s foster ABA cut is public news — treat it like data, not drama.

**Want clinics that already talk like adults about payers?**

Tell us your location, setting, schedule, salary goals, and non-negotiables. We’ll show you what’s open.

Soft follow **u/PairABA** — https://www.reddit.com/user/PairABA/

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Source: https://pairaba.com/blog-posts/georgia-foster-aba-rate-cut-who-feels-it-first.html · The Pair Post, Pair ABA (https://pairaba.com/)