The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has proposed ending state funding for its Children's Autism Program, and the founder of a Texoma therapy provider getting ready to open a Denison clinic says families who rely on it need to know what would replace it.
The proposal is part of the commission's plan for meeting a 3% cut to its base budget request for the 2028-29 biennium. House Speaker Dustin Burrows, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told state agencies on July 14 to trim their requests by that amount.
The commission's target is about $335 million in state general revenue and dedicated funds, according to its reduction summary.
What is proposed
That summary names the "GR Funded Autism Program (non-Medicaid)" among a dozen client services the agency would eliminate. Dropping it would save about $6.83 million a year, or roughly $13.66 million over the two years, the document shows.
The program pays community contractors for applied behavior analysis, known as ABA, a therapy for children with autism that targets specific behaviors and skills. It works with 16 providers statewide and covered treatment for 583 children in fiscal 2026, with at least 1,000 more on provider waitlists, The Texas Tribune reported.
The commission has said children already enrolled would keep getting services through August 2027 if the cut is adopted. Its summary says the agency targeted reductions with the smallest direct effect on clients and on federal funding. The plan is a budget request, not a final decision; lawmakers write the next state budget when the Legislature convenes in January.
Texas Medicaid also pays for ABA therapy for eligible children, according to the commission's program page. Advocates interviewed by the Tribune said families with no insurance, or with self-funded employer plans, can fall outside that coverage, and that low Medicaid payment rates leave few providers willing to take those patients.
