Pending cuts to Georgia Medicaid payments could affect children who need therapy

ATLANTA — Therapists who help children with disabilities learn how to hold a crayon, walk and talk say their services to low-income families could be sharply reduced by proposed Medicaid rate cuts.

The government is not directly reducing payments. But two of the three contractors who manage Medicaid for Georgia sent letters to therapists recently to alert them to pending 20% reductions.

Providers say they can either absorb the cuts or leave the Medicaid managed care organization networks of those two companies.