AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A new audit says Texas health officials aren’t doing enough to ensure youth and children with disabilities are getting appropriate access to care in its Medicaid managed program.
The San Antonio Express-News reports that the state’s Legislative Budget Board found that the number of children with disabilities receiving occupational and physical therapy declined by 13 percent in the months after Texas launched STAR Kids in 2016.
The program covers roughly 160,000 children and adults ages 20 and younger who have disabilities.
Auditors say some contractors may not have adequate networks of medical providers, while others aren’t meeting state requirements regarding visits.
The audit says gaps remain in the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s oversight of the program. State health officials haven’t conducted reviews to ensure contractors are meeting the children’s needs.
The commission declined to comment.
