Alpaca Health matches Honolulu families with independent BCBAs. In-home ABA therapy reaches across Oahu and Honolulu County, from Honolulu out to Aiea, Pearl City, Kailua, and Kaneohe, and telehealth can reach other islands where your plan allows it. We verify your HMSA, Kaiser Permanente, Med-QUEST, or TRICARE West benefits before you begin, we do not run a waitlist, and most families start the same week.
Clinically reviewed by
Samantha Ridout, M.Phil., BCBA, LBA-NYS· BACB certification #1-22-57709 · Last updated August 2026
Accepted insurance
Choose your Honolulu BCBA for your child
Kimberly Bellomo, M.S., BCBA, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with Bright Beginnings Learning Center. She has more than a decade of leadership in school-based and clinical ABA settings, as a clinical director and executive director.
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Jessica Cheeks, BCBA, LBA, is the founder of Behavior Analytics Hawaii, with more than 12 years of experience in homes, schools, and clinics. A parent of children with special needs and a former military spouse, she is especially dedicated to military families.
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Jasmine French, BCBA, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who works with children and teens. A former special education teacher, Jasmine builds individualized programs and gives caregivers the guidance to feel confident during and beyond services.
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Brittany Basco, M.S., BCBA, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and the owner of Root To Roam. Known to families as Bri, Brittany specializes in behavioral assessment, caregiver collaboration, and telehealth ABA services.
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Khent Calaguas, MA SpEd., BCBA, LBA, is the founder and clinical director of Kaleido Behavioral Health, with over 12 years of experience in applied behavior analysis and a commitment to neuro-affirming, person-centered care.
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Dr. Lisa Drumb, PhD, BCBA, LBA, is a clinical leader and educator with over a decade of experience in Applied Behavior Analysis and special education. She serves as Vice President of Clinical Operations and teaches ABA at Capella University, where she mentors future behavior analysts.
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Eric Geimer, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, is a licensed behavior analyst with nearly a decade of experience supporting families across Hawaii. Based in Honolulu, Eric holds a master’s in Educational Psychology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, along with dual undergraduate degrees in History and Interdisciplinary Social Science.
Book a consultationView profileABA therapy options for Honolulu families
In-daycare and in-school ABA: therapy at daycare or school where the facility and your plan allow it
Virtual ABA therapy: telehealth parent coaching and BCBA sessions, where your plan covers them
Autism evaluations: ADOS-2 diagnostic assessments where available, coverage verified first
Parent training: regular family guidance sessions with your child's BCBA, where your plan covers them
Which setting fits your family? Tell us during signup and we will say plainly what is available at your address. Most Honolulu families start with in-home ABA therapy, delivered by clinicians based on Oahu, and virtual ABA therapy can reach other islands where your plan allows it. Hawaii public schools do not allow private ABA providers on campus. If your child's IEP team finds ABA educationally necessary, the Hawaii State Department of Education provides it through its own staff or contracted agencies.
How ABA therapy works through Alpaca Health
Four simple steps from your first form to your first session. No waitlists, no phone tag, no guesswork.
1
Tell us about your child
Start with our short intake form. You share the basics: your child's age, your availability, your insurance, and any autism diagnosis you already have. That is all we need to understand where your family is starting from.
2
We verify your insurance
After you submit the form, we verify your insurance and follow up within one business day to confirm the details. No long waits, no phone tag.
3
Get matched with the right provider
We match you with a BCBA who has availability now. Prefer someone specific? Tell us, and we will try to make it work. Either way, the fit is built around your child's needs and your family's schedule.
4
Start ABA therapy
We introduce you directly to your provider, and they take it from there. Most families begin within a few weeks, with in-home ABA therapy or a telehealth session where your plan covers it.
We accept most insurance providers and handle verification, prior authorization, and paperwork.
Don't see your plan? Check all accepted insurances
Alpaca Health accepts the plans shown above and confirms your exact benefits before you commit. Honolulu families on Hawaii Medicaid reach ABA therapy through a Med-QUEST QUEST Integration health plan, and that route runs separately from the private path HMSA and Kaiser Permanente members follow.
What Alpaca Health's data shows about ABA care across our network
Every number below comes from the sessions, claims, and prior authorizations that partner clinics ran on Alpaca Health between August 2024 and August 2026, across every state we serve. It describes families served by those clinics, not the US ABA market.
Families who owed nothing
69.5%
Share of families nationally whose settled claims carried no patient responsibility. Medicaid plans usually cover it by design, while commercial plans carry deductibles and copays.
Alpaca Health partner-clinic caseload, Aug 2024 to Aug 2026. 896 families across 77 clinics.
Median owed per hour of therapy, commercial plans
$2.71
Patient responsibility owed per delivered hour for families on commercial plans nationally. About four in ten owed nothing at all. Middle half of families: $0 to $12.18.
Alpaca Health partner-clinic caseload, Aug 2024 to Aug 2026. 448 families across 64 clinics.
Independent practices on Alpaca Health
95
Practices run by clinician owners across the country, together serving about 1,400 children with roughly 148,700 hours of therapy delivered in the window.
Alpaca Health platform records, Aug 2024 to Aug 2026.
Median days to a payer decision
16.4
Days from the moment a partner clinic submits a prior authorization to the moment the payer approves or denies it. Middle half of requests: 10 to 26 days.
Alpaca Health partner-clinic caseload, Aug 2024 to Aug 2026. 1,082 families across 81 clinics.
How prior authorizations ended nationally
- Approved69.3%
- Withdrawn before a decision13.8%
- No authorization was needed9.8%
Share of prior authorization requests by outcome. Outcome groups with too few families behind them are not shown, so these shares do not add to 100. 891 families across 78 clinics.
Where therapy hours were delivered
- At home64.9%
- In a clinic office13.3%
- By telehealth8.9%
- At school7.3%
- Other settings5.6%
Share of delivered therapy hours by the place of service billed on each signed session note. Alpaca Health partner-clinic caseload, Aug 2024 to Aug 2026.
Families who had at least one telehealth session
72.4%
Telehealth is a small share of total hours nationally, and most families used it at least once. It fills gaps around illness and travel rather than replacing in-person work.
Alpaca Health partner-clinic caseload, Aug 2024 to Aug 2026. 783 families across 70 clinics.
These figures describe clients of Alpaca Health partner ABA clinics, on the payers Alpaca Health contracts with. They are not measurements of the US ABA market. A figure appears only when at least 25 families from at least 3 clinics sit behind it.
Start ABA therapy nowGetting an autism diagnosis in Honolulu
Most plans want an autism diagnosis before they approve ABA therapy. Med-QUEST plans and HMSA can approve a trial of ABA for up to 26 weeks when a diagnosing clinician suspects autism but needs more evaluation. Kaiser Permanente and TRICARE need a diagnosis first. Which route fits depends on your child's age and on the plan printed on your card, and Honolulu holds most of the evaluation capacity on Oahu.
Start with Alpaca Health
Alpaca Health offers an ADOS-2 evaluation with no waitlist. An ADOS-2 is one part of an autism diagnosis, so we confirm what your plan requires before you book.
Start your evaluationUnder age 3
The Hawaii Early Intervention Section runs birth to three services through its H-KISS line, no diagnosis or doctor's referral needed. Call 808-594-0066 on Oahu, or 1-800-235-5477 from the neighbor islands.
Age 3 and up
Kapiolani Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics evaluates children in Honolulu at 808-373-7555, and the Kapiolani Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics Clinic takes referrals at 808-983-8394. Med-QUEST does not require prior authorization for the diagnostic evaluation.
How Hawaii's autism coverage rules work in practice
What the state mandate covers
- Diagnosis and treatment: State-regulated plans must cover both, including applied behavior analysis.
- Ordered by a clinician: A licensed practitioner has to prescribe the treatment.
- Licensed provider: Applied behavior analysis must come from a licensed behavior analyst.
What the statute does not settle
- Self-funded plans: Employer plans under federal ERISA rules are exempt; ask how yours is funded.
- Med-QUEST: Hawaii Medicaid covers applied behavior analysis under age 21, with no annual maximum.
- Military families: TRICARE West covers care through the Autism Care Demonstration.
Local programs and organizations that support families alongside ABA therapy.
Hawaii's lead agency for IDEA Part C, providing free evaluations and early intervention services for infants and toddlers from birth to age 3 with developmental delays. Services delivered in-person or via telepractice across Oahu and the neighbor islands.
Hawaii operates as a single statewide school district, the only state in the U.S. structured this way. Coordinates IEPs, classroom accommodations, and special education services for students with autism across all public schools.
Free 24/7 phone, text, and chat support for anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Call or text 988.
Hawaii's statewide 24/7 behavioral health crisis line. Free support for crisis, mental health, and substance use concerns. Also accessible by dialing 988 or (808) 832-3100. Operated by the State of Hawaii Department of Health Behavioral Health Administration in collaboration with CARE Hawaii Inc.
Why independent clinics matter
In-home ABA that fits your life
- The providers we work with bring therapy to you, wherever your child is most comfortable.
- That might mean home, daycare, school, or virtual sessions. Our flexible care model ensures that therapy integrates into your family’s daily routine, rather than disrupting it.
- Our network is made up of independent, local clinicians who prioritize collaboration, not control, so you stay in charge of your child’s care.
Support for the full pediatric age range
- Many ABA centers stop care when a child turns 8. BCBAs on Alpaca Health support the full pediatric age range, from toddlers until age 21, where coverage allows.
- Your child deserves more than short-term support. With Alpaca Health, they can build a long-term relationship with a provider who understands their growth over time and adapts care as their needs evolve.
- We also support your whole family with educational events and resources, including parent webinars, advocacy toolkits, and grant guides.
More care. Less wait.
- Waiting months for ABA therapy shouldn’t be the norm. Alpaca Health connects families with independent BCBAs who are taking new families, and most families begin within a few weeks.
- We work exclusively with independent providers, which allows us to stay flexible and waitlist-free. That means faster assessments, quicker treatment starts, and the end of years-long waits.
- Ready to get started? We’ll handle the paperwork, help coordinate referrals, and walk you through every step.
How much does ABA therapy cost in Honolulu?
It depends on the plan printed on your card. Hawaii's autism law reaches state-regulated private plans, and Med-QUEST covers ABA therapy for members under 21 when it is medically necessary. Self-funded employer plans sit outside the state law, which changes what ABA therapy costs for some families.
Alpaca Health verifies your benefits before you start. Check your Honolulu coverage.
Does Alpaca Health serve families on Oahu?
Yes. Alpaca Health providers work across Hawaii through in-home visits and telehealth, and Honolulu sits inside that service area. Eric Geimer, the BCBA featured on this page, is a licensed behavior analyst based in Honolulu, so in-home matching on Oahu does not depend on a clinician flying in from the mainland.
Can Hawaii public schools diagnose my child with autism?
No. A Hawaii State Department of Education evaluation can qualify your child for an Individualized Education Program, which covers services at school. Most plans still want a medical diagnosis before they authorize ABA therapy, though Med-QUEST plans and HMSA can approve a trial of up to 26 weeks when a diagnosing clinician suspects autism.
Hawaii runs one statewide district, so the process is the same at every public school. The department has 60 days from your written consent to complete an initial evaluation.
Where do Honolulu families get an autism evaluation?
Under age 3, the Hawaii Early Intervention Section takes referrals through H-KISS at 808-594-0066 on Oahu. No diagnosis is needed to start.
From age 3, Honolulu families usually go to Kapiolani Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics or the Kapiolani Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics Clinic. Alpaca Health runs its own ADOS-2 evaluations without a waitlist, which can move faster than an outside referral.
