Minnesota's Autism Grift in Wisconsin?? Not Really

 By now, Grifter Ripoffs in Minnesota is not really a headline; it's just another day ending in -y.

So this is no surprise:

 ...The Justice Department also announced charges against 15 defendants in May in connection with alleged health care fraud schemes involving more than $90 million in intended losses. The cases included an alleged $46.6 million scheme targeting Minnesota's autism intervention program, which DOJ said saw Medicaid claims surge from more than $600,000 in 2018 to more than $400 million by2025  --quoted at AOSHQ

Well, let's look at Wisconsin!

... The ADDM Network publishes ASD prevalence reports in CDC’s MMWR Surveillance Summaries....

...2020. On average, 2.8% or one in every 36 eight-year-old in the 11 ADDM Network sites was classified as having an ASD....

Not bad.  Never good, but not bad.

But let's go back a bit:

... 2002. On average, .7% or one in every 150 eight-year olds in the 14 ADDM Network sites was classified as having an ASD....

That's a 400% jump in 18 years; and there's a bit more:

 ...The percentage of 8-year-old children identified with autism increased in southeastern Wisconsin, from 2.8% in 2020 to 3.8% in 2022....

The survey indicates that autism is more prevalent in low-income areas.

Now, the spending:

 ...Medicaid spending on autism therapy in Wisconsin grew from $39.9 million in 2018 to $53.7 million in 2022, with audits revealing significant improper payments in the program....--DuckDuckGo search assist

Oh.

Well, it's not Minnesota Class (the Gold Standard of theft), but it's a lot of money.  The intriguing part is the "low-income" area disparity, but that's up to an investigator to figure out.  Won't happen if World-Class Dummy "Dirt McGurk" gets elected, but.....

What's "Minnesota Class"?  $600K in 2018 to $400 million in 2025.