This bill requires Medicaid and CHIP to cover speech therapy services for children with childhood fluency disorders, particularly stuttering, and to screen for these conditions during well-child visits. Specifically, the bill mandates that states include screening for stuttering and speech fluency disorders in regular checkups for children ages 2-6 starting January 1, 2027, and that they cover speech therapy treatment for these conditions with limits no stricter than those for other speech disorders. The legislation also requires the federal government to update its quality measures for children's health care to include screening for fluency disorders by January 1, 2026. These changes affect millions of low-income children covered by Medicaid and CHIP across the country, and the bill takes effect in phases, with measurement standards updated first and coverage and screening requirements beginning in 2027. No specific federal funding amount is specified in the bill, as these costs would be covered through existing Medicaid and CHIP budgets.
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