The Hill reports:
The Pentagon is delaying controversial healthcare spending cuts after hundreds of military families complained it would have left their autistic children without coverage, according to an official from the Department of Defense.
Pentagon officials announced late Wednesday they are halting a plan to slash TRICARE payments in half for providers who work with autistic children.
This comes after TRICARE providers warned they would stop treating more than 1,100 autistic children, because of the massive pay cuts.
“The department understands the concerns caused by the rate change,” an official from the Department of Defense told The Hill. “In order to address these concerns, the department has commissioned an independent view of the (program).”
TRICARE officials began informing key congressional staffers Wednesday evening they would delay the pay cuts until April 20, 2015 as they order an independent review of the changes.
Other changes to the program will go into effect as scheduled later this month, the DOD official said.
The announcement came about an hour after The Hill published a story about the planned cuts.
The pushback had been hard.
WAVY-TV in Hampton Roads reported last week:
