Washington, D.C. — The latest reporting from POLITICO details how Dr. Mehmet Oz, the former TV host who is now leading the Trump administration’s so-called Medicaid fraud crackdown, is jeopardizing vital care for children with autism. After Republicans gutted Medicaid funding to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations, states from Nebraska to North Carolina are cutting payments for applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy, the gold standard of care for children with autism. These devastating cuts are putting essential care out of reach for families and forcing providers to make impossible choices between keeping their doors open and denying children the care they need. A provider in Colorado, for instance, has continued treating patients despite absorbing a $15,000 loss. This comes as new reporting from the Washington Sun shows the White House website dedicated to fraud is “primarily a piece of propaganda” that is “riddled with misleading claims.”
Protect Our Care Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:
“Dr. Oz can continue this dog and pony show all he wants, but the reality is that he’s ripping away care from children that need it most. When Trump and Republicans in Congress slashed over $1 trillion from health care to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations, they set the ball rolling on a health care crisis that crushes working families every day. Now, parents of children with autism are living in fear, terrified that their children will lose the care they need to lead independent lives. Providers, especially those in rural areas, are being forced to lay off staff, reduce services, or close their doors entirely. As care grows increasingly out of reach, Dr. Oz’s aggressive crackdown will only make things worse.”
