Medicaid Reimbursement Rate Amendments
This bill makes permanent a budgeting mechanism that adjusts Medicaid reimbursement rates for applied behavior analysis (ABA) services based on Utah's General Fund revenue growth. It ensures ABA providers receive rate increases tied to the state's budget growth factor (e.g., 100% if growth is below 100%, or 102% if growth is 102% or higher). The policy directly affects Medicaid providers delivering ABA services to beneficiaries and ensures these rates stay aligned with reimbursement for similar services under Medicaid managed care plans. The bill does not appropriate new funding but modifies how existing funds are allocated to maintain these rate adjustments.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Signed into Law
Mar 2026
Introduced Jan 20, 2026
Signed Mar 18, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Introduced
→
Enrolled
·
3 edits
·
Mar 18, 2026
MINOR
This bill enrolls a version of SB 160 that establishes a permanent budgeting mechanism to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services. The enrolled text contains significant formatting and structural changes compared to the introduced version, including the removal of a specific fiscal year restriction for ABA rate increases and the addition of bracketed text indicating editorial notes or alternative phrasing. These changes clarify the long-term funding structure for ABA providers while adjusting the legislative text to reflect final committee or legislative preferences.
Scope change
The scope of the bill remains focused on Medicaid reimbursement rates for ABA services, ACOs, and behavioral health plans, but the specific fiscal year constraints on when ABA rates can increase were altered.
TIMELINE
The specific fiscal year restriction for ABA rate increases was removed; the introduced version limited these increases to fiscal years 2025 and 2026, while the enrolled version removes this limitation, allowing the mechanism to continue indefinitely.
TECHNICAL
The text was significantly reformatted and restructured, with the removal of a timestamp and the addition of bracketed text (e.g., [[a]]) that likely represents editorial notes, deleted options, or alternative phrasing considered during the legislative process.
Minor wording adjustments were made throughout the statute, such as changing 'is greater than or equal to' to 'is greater than or equal to' in specific contexts and altering the phrasing of the 2027 provision to include an upper limit based on the General Fund growth factor.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 10, 2026 · House Feb 25, 2026
How they voted
24–0
Passed · 5 other
Total votes 29
Feb 10, 2026
D
Democratic6
100% Yea
N
Forward1
100% Yea
R
Republican22
77% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
40
Key actions
10
Committee
7
Mar 18, 2026
Signed into law
Governor Signed
executive
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
House/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
House/ passed 3rd reading
lower
Feb 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
House/ committee report favorable [House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee]
lower
Feb 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
House Comm - Favorable Recommendation [House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee]
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
House Comm - Not Considered [House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee]
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Committee
House/ to standing committee [House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee]
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Introduced
House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
lower
Feb 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Senate/ passed 3rd reading
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate/ committee report favorable [Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee]
upper
Jan 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation [Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee]
upper
Jan 21, 2026
Committee
Senate/ to standing committee [Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee]
upper
Jan 20, 2026
Introduced
Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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