State Strategies to Contain Costs in the Early Intervention Program: Policy and Evidence

Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act allows states to createfamily-centered developmental services for infants and toddlers (birth–3 yrs) withdelays. Part C Early Intervention (EI) programs have grown enormously in size and cost since becoming operational in 1994. In this article, the author describes strate-gies that states have taken to reduce EI costs, including creating eligibility restrictions, shifting costs to the health care system, charging parent fees, and enhancing insurance collection. A review of these strategies suggests that only enhanced insurance collection is free of unintended consequences, including loss of services to children in need, in-creased long-term expenditures, and a disproportionate impact on low-income families