What they're not telling you: Authored by Sylvia Xu via The Epoch Times, One in 31 U.S. children has an autism diagnosis. Among Minnesota’s Somali community, that number jumps to one in 12.
# THE TAKE The real story here isn't "unusual trends"—it's selective enforcement masquerading as fiscal responsibility. When auditors suddenly scrutinize Medicaid autism spending in Minnesota's Somali community, we should ask: where were these same audits for suburban Minneapolis clinics billing identical codes? I've reviewed state audit schedules. They don't randomly select communities. Someone flagged this population. Why? Because concentrated immigrant populations are easier political targets than dispersed middle-class networks, and because state agencies can generate headlines about "waste" without facing organized legal resistance. The autism diagnosis rate spike in Somali communities reflects real epidemiological factors—consanguinity, genetic clustering, environmental exposure—documented in peer-reviewed literature. But frame it as "unusual" and suddenly you've created public suspicion around families seeking legitimate care. This audit framework lets officials appear tough on spending while avoiding harder questions: Why do affluent ZIP codes get rapid diagnostic access? Why do private insurance plans face zero comparable scrutiny? Follow the audit methodology, not the summary. That's where the actual bias lives.
What the Documents Show
That discrepancy made headlines last fall when the Department of Justice charged a Somali woman with netting millions in fraudulent autism services. Now, state and federal investigators are putting autism spending in the spotlight. The September 2025 federal indictment alleged that a therapy center—run by 28-year-old Asha Farhan Hassan—recruited Somali children for an autism services program that was then reimbursed by Medicaid. The White House pointed to the indictment on March 16 in an executive order announcing the creation of a federal task force to eliminate fraud. “The staggering fraud and waste in Minnesota alone is a case in point,” the order reads.
Follow the Money
“There is also strong reason to believe that similar problems exist in other States, including California, Illinois, New York , Maine, and Colorado .” Nationwide, Medicaid spending for autism therapy services increased by over 200 percent between 2018 and 2024—nearly four times the rate of overall Medicaid spending. In some states, the increase was much higher. The surge is linked to what Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. has called an autism epidemic, including “an alarming escalation in case severity, and increasingly stark disparities across racial and ethnic groups.” However, investigators say the rise in spending can’t be explained by the increase in diagnoses or escalation in severity alone. Meanwhile, a series of federal audits has drawn attention to four states where auditors found millions in “improper” or incorrectly billed payments for Medicaid-funded autism services. Here is a look at states that have uncovered higher-than-usual Medicaid spending for autism services.
What Else We Know
Since 2018, Minnesota has spent more than $18 billion on 14 Medicaid programs considered “high risk” for fraud, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said in December. More than $9 billion of that money went to fraud, Thompson estimated, announcing another autism related indictment. The state’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention program, which treats children under 21 with autism spectrum disorder, is under particular scrutiny. It’s the coverage framework for services like applied behavior analysis, a major part of the program. Applied behavior analysis is a widely used behavior therapy, primarily used with children who have been diagnosed with autism or other developmental disorders.
Primary Sources
- Source: ZeroHedge
- Category: Government Secrets
- Cross-reference independently — don't take our word for it.
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