The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has proposed cutting all funding for the Children’s Autism Program in its 2028-2029 budget request, potentially ending a state-subsidized therapy program for children with autism.
The proposal comes after Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows in July directed state agencies, appellate courts and universities to reduce spending by 3% in the next biennium, according to an Oct. 12 report from The Texas Tribune. The commission said it focused its reductions on areas with the “lowest direct service impact to clients while minimizing impacts to federal funding.” The autism program is funded entirely by the state.
If the Legislature approves the cut, the program would continue providing services through the end of August 2027, the commission told the Tribune.
Launched in 2008, the program works with 16 providers statewide to make applied behavior analysis therapy more affordable based on family income and insurance coverage. Texas spent $13.7 million on the initiative over the past two years. This year it expanded the program, raising eligibility to age 21 and removing a cap on yearly therapy hours. The program funded treatment for 583 children in fiscal year 2026, and contractors reported at least 1,000 more on waitlists statewide.
Texas Medicaid began covering applied behavior analysis therapy in 2022 for beneficiaries ages 20 and younger. However, Jolene Pohl, advocacy director for the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, told the Tribune some families still struggle to obtain services. Medicaid’s benefit doesn’t reach uninsured families or those on self-funded plans, and low reimbursement rates limit the number of participating providers, according to the report.
The commission also identified provider shortages, particularly in rural communities, as a barrier to meeting demand for autism treatment.
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