Every child can get free speech therapy

Your article "Iowa speech therapy providers, advocates worry over impact of pending state rule change" (Dec. 9) presented a most unfortunate reality of children and adults being cut off from speech therapy due to cuts in Medicaid related to changes in the Affordable Care Act. I would like to inform Gazette readers that these children who were receiving speech therapy are eligible for free speech therapy, through a program born from federal legislation to help children with disabilities over 50 years ago.

It should be noted that every child in the U.S. has the right to free speech therapy, from preschool through high school. All children are eligible for this free speech therapy as it is not an entitlement based on family income. This benefit covers all the speech problems that children face. A great resource for parents in navigating this amazing benefit of speech therapy is a downloadable brochure titled "Special Education Law and Children Who Stutter" is available on the website of the Stuttering Foundation.

I shake my head thinking that the U.S. had a heated and divisive debate over national health care policy for nine years from 2008 -2017 yet there was never any mention of this policy mandated by federal legislation in the 1970s. If more people knew about this great policy of free speech therapy for all children, more child with speech disorders could be helped.

Ed Herrington

Naples, FL