Last week HPPR reportedon Texas’s plan to slash $350 million in funding for pediatric therapy services for children with disabilities. The idea was proposed by GOP lawmakers as a way to cut spending in the state. Now Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives have asked the federal government to step in and stop the cuts, reports The Texas Tribune.
Texas Dems say the cuts “will restrict access to medically necessary therapy services.” The request was made formally by all 50 Texas Democrats in a letter to the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. State Rep. Donna Howard said in a statement that, if the cuts are implemented, “it is estimated that 60,000 severely disabled pediatric patients could lose access to medically necessary services.”