Kentucky lawmakers cut 80% of state funding for the Lee Specialty Clinic in Louisville, the only comprehensive medical, dental, and behavioral health clinic in the state for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. More than 1,000 patients face losing all services by July 15, 2026.

Families and caregivers testified at a Frankfort legislative hearing on June 24. Gov. Andy Beshear called the cuts "completely avoidable" and hinted at a possible fix to be announced Thursday, June 25. Whether that fix materializes or not, families relying on the clinic need to act now.

What Lee Specialty Clinic Is and Who It Serves

Lee Specialty Clinic provides integrated care for adults with IDD: primary care, dental services, behavioral health, and care coordination under one roof. It's structured specifically for patients with complex medical and communication needs who often can't access standard clinic settings.

The clinic serves adults with conditions including Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. Many patients have been with the clinic for years. For them, continuity of care means stable health management instead of repeated ER visits when things fall apart.

The clinic accepts Medicaid and has sliding-scale options for uninsured patients. It's staffed by providers trained in IDD care, which is not common in standard primary care or dental practices.

The Budget Cut: What Was Eliminated

Kentucky's Republican-led legislature cut $4.5 million in state funding from the clinic's budget, an 80% reduction. The clinic retained only 8 of its 50+ staff members. Outpatient services were heavily curtailed.

The cuts are part of a broader state budget that reduced funding for several disability and social service programs. Legislative leadership cited budget constraints tied to federal funding uncertainty. Democratic Gov. Beshear opposed the cuts and said they could have been avoided with different budget priorities.

This is a political dispute between the governor and the legislature. For families, the political positioning doesn't change the deadline.

What Families Need to Document Now

Whether the clinic restores funding or not, you need a complete record of your current care. If services end, that record is what you'll use to establish continuity with a new provider.

Document the following for each patient currently receiving care at Lee Specialty Clinic:

• Current diagnoses and active conditions: the full list, including behavioral health diagnoses if applicable
• Current medications: drug name, dose, prescribing provider, last refill date
• Last visit date and next scheduled appointment: note what was discussed and what follow-up was planned
• Specialists and referrals: if Lee coordinated referrals to cardiology, neurology, or other specialists, list those providers and the referral dates
• Behavioral health services: if the patient receives counseling, psychiatric care, or behavioral therapy through the clinic, document the provider and frequency
• Dental services: last cleaning, treatment plan, any ongoing dental issues that require follow-up
• DME and assistive technology: if the clinic wrote orders for wheelchairs, communication devices, or other equipment, keep copies of those orders

Call the clinic and request a copy of your full medical record. Do this before July 15. If the clinic closes, accessing records becomes harder.

Who to Contact Before July 15

Gov. Andy Beshear's office:

• Phone: (502) 564-2611
• Email: governor@ky.gov
• Constituent services line: (502) 564-2611

When you call or email, state this: you're a family member or caregiver of a Lee Specialty Clinic patient, the July 15 deadline is approaching, and you need to know what the governor's plan is to restore services.

Your state senator and representative:

Find your legislators here: legislature.ky.gov

Tell them the same: your family relies on Lee Specialty Clinic, you don't have another option for comprehensive IDD care, and the July 15 deadline is days away.

Legislative offices respond to constituent calls. The volume of calls influences whether this becomes a priority issue.

Lee Specialty Clinic directly:

• Phone: (502) 561-0990
• Location: 1169 Eastern Parkway, Louisville, KY 40217

Ask what the clinic's plan is if funding isn't restored. Are they referring patients to other providers? Are they maintaining any services on a reduced schedule?

What IDD Healthcare Options Families Should Begin Identifying

If services end, you'll need to find alternative providers. Start that search now, not on July 16.

Primary care physicians who accept Medicaid:

Contact your Medicaid managed care plan (Anthem, WellCare, Passport, or Humana) and ask for a list of primary care providers in your area who have experience with IDD patients. Ask specifically whether the provider has accommodations for patients with communication disabilities or mobility limitations.

Not all primary care offices can provide the same level of care Lee Specialty Clinic offered. You may need separate providers for medical, dental, and behavioral health.

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs):

FQHCs accept Medicaid and have sliding-scale fees. They're required to serve all patients regardless of ability to pay. Louisville has several FQHCs, including Family Health Centers and Park DuValle Community Health Center.

Call ahead and ask whether the practice has providers trained in IDD care. Ask whether the facility is physically accessible and whether staff can accommodate communication or sensory needs.

Dental care:

Dental care for adults with IDD is one of the hardest services to replace. Many dentists don't accept Medicaid. Some dental practices require sedation or general anesthesia for patients with significant behavioral or sensory needs, which adds cost and complexity.

Contact your Medicaid plan and ask for a list of dentists who accept Medicaid and have experience with IDD patients. If your family member requires sedation for dental care, ask which dentists on the list have hospital privileges or access to sedation facilities.

Behavioral health services:

If your family member receives psychiatric care or counseling through Lee Specialty Clinic, you'll need to transfer that care before medications run out.

Contact your Medicaid plan and ask for psychiatrists or psychiatric nurse practitioners who accept Medicaid and treat adults with IDD. Behavioral health providers are in short supply across Kentucky. Waitlists are common. Get on those lists now.

What Medicaid Rights Apply If Services End

Kentucky Medicaid covers adults with disabilities through several pathways, including the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waivers for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. If you're on a waiver, your case manager should be involved in transitioning your care.

Contact your Medicaid case manager immediately. Tell them Lee Specialty Clinic may close by July 15 and you need help identifying replacement providers. Case managers are required to coordinate care transitions.

If you don't have a case manager, contact Kentucky Medicaid Member Services: (855) 459-6328.

You have the right to continuity of care. If your Medicaid managed care plan terminates a provider relationship, you're entitled to continued access to that provider for up to 90 days while you transition to a new provider. This applies when a provider leaves a network or when services are discontinued.

Document every attempt to find alternative care. If you can't find a replacement provider, file that as a network adequacy issue. You can file a grievance with your managed care plan and request an exception to see an out-of-network provider at in-network rates.

File grievances if you hit barriers. If you can't find a provider who accepts Medicaid, or if the only available providers have waitlists that delay care, file a grievance with your managed care plan. The plan is required to ensure you have access to necessary care within a reasonable time and distance.

Grievance contact information is on the back of your Medicaid card or on your plan's website.

What Happens Next

Gov. Beshear said on June 24 that his administration is working on a fix and expects to announce something by Thursday, June 25. Whether that fix fully restores clinic funding, provides bridge funding, or shifts responsibility to another agency isn't clear yet.

If the fix doesn't materialize, the clinic will not be able to continue full services past July 15. Families will lose access to integrated IDD care.

The governor's announcement may clarify next steps. Until then, document your current care, identify alternative providers, and call your legislators.

This isn't the first state to cut funding for disability healthcare in 2026. States are cutting Medicaid right now to cover federal losses, and disability services are taking the hit. Families in other states have dealt with similar provider network collapses. The ones who prepared early had better outcomes.

You have 20 days to document current care, identify fallback providers, and contact decision-makers.