Every parent whose child has special needs worries about insurance for their children. We “have” health insurance…but my husband works for a small company…and because of “rising costs” and “bottom line” the insurance they offer…well, it SUCKS. We are required to take part now in their HSA insurance…there is no longer the 80/20 of standard insurance. We have the “Benefit” of a low-premium, high deductible insurance package. For a single man in his 20’s…this is a GREAT plan…you hardly ever get sick, what difference does it make?

For a family of five on a very limited income, with two children that require special services…this is a horrible plan. Our deductible is $6000. Considering one visit to a specialist costs anywhere from $500 to $900, how can a family on a limited income live with such a thing? So…we apply for medicaid to help cover medical costs…but since we have “qualifying insurance coverage” on the girls…even though our income meets their levels…we still can’t get medicaid. We’d have to drop our insurance coverage on them for 3 months before we could get coverage for the girls. They don’t qualify for an income waiver, and even if they did the wait list is ENORMOUS.

The nations insurance on all children needs to be re-examined. With these HSA’s becoming increasingly popular in even the larger companies children are losing even more health care because a parent has to decide if they can afford the doctor bill to take their child to a specialist, or for that MRI…or the $1200 genetic screen that will finally answer questions.