Colorado is proposing major changes to autism therapy, with the state agency that funds Medicaid asking lawmakers to lower the rate paid to providers to help balance the budget and allow more chances to review payments. The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing is also seeking a new requirement that behavioral technicians doing most of the front-line therapy get certified following a federal audit. The state's Department for Health and Human Services is also urging lawmakers to reduce the cost of Medicaid, which is expected to require Medicaid cuts due to a $1.5 billion budget deficit. The Office of the Inspector General has found that Colorado may have overpaid ABA providers by about $78 million in 2022 and 2023, and recommended that the state repay almost $43 million to the federal government.