5 days till Washington, DC

I am thrilled to be a part of the Family Advocacy Day Conference that will be held in Washington, DC on June 16^th, 17^th and 18^th. This year is very important because Congress has started working on health care reform and we need to remind them not to forget the children when it comes to health care reform.

    When I was in my accident my family had a really good insurance plan and even though almost all of my medical bills were paid my family was still left with paying the co-pay and deductable which turned out to be a huge amount of money. My mom tells a story of how a bill for $97,000 came in the mail and on the bottom of the bill it was stamped “This bill is due upon receipt. Is there a reason why this bill is not paid?” Can you imagine what that bill would have been without health insurance?

    I want to be a voice for all the children who are unable to come to Washington, DC. I have been thinking about what I want our lawmakers to know and I thought I would run it by all of you and you could tell me if I missed anything that might be important to you and your family.

·         I want our lawmakers to remember that children have no choice in the health care their family has and we cannot go out and enroll ourselves.

·         Lawmakers can change this by giving every child health care from birth until 21 years of age. This way if our parents lose their job and their health care the children will still be covered.

·        I had Physical, and Occupational and Speech therapy 2 times a week for almost 12 years.

·         Some plans put limits on the amount of therapy a child can receive; we need to leave this up to the specialists working with children not the insurance companies.

·        During my recovery I had many devices that helped me. The technical name for this is durable medical equipment. Even with the insurance my family had many of these were not covered at all. As I had talked about in one of my blog posts, I am waiting for a new device that will help me walk more naturally. This device is over $6,000. None of it is covered at all by my parents' insurance.

·         Our new health care reform needs to change this and help families get the equipment their children need.

·         Many adults have chronic health conditions that began in their childhood.

·         If lawmakers take care of the children now we can change that in the future.

These are just some of my ideas I would like you all to comment on and let me know what you would like added. I will let you all see my final copy soon. I have to go... I have three exams tomorrow. BOO HISS!

Comments

[Stacy Biddinger]

Melissa -

I think these sound great and I can't wait to meet you next week in Washington, D.C.! Good luck on those exams tomorrow.

- Stacy Biddinger
N.A.C.H.

[Pat O'Hanlon]

Hi Melissa,
It's just me, Mrs. O'Hanlon, Kenny's mom. Thank you so much for taking all of these difficult issues on your strong shoulders for all of us. I'm amazed at how you have zeroed in on all the issues that matter to children and their families. I just wanted to add under all your concerns is the cost of insurance to families. Your pal Kenny is covered under our group insurance which we have as owners of a small business. Well our premiums are $23,500.00 per year. Our business is near bankruptcy and we're afraid of our future. We don't know how, but we'll make it! We're a middle class family and somehow we'll figure it out. It sure would help if our lawmakers remember us! Thank you for sharing our stories with them! God Bless You! You are such a great advocate!
Pat O'Hanlon

[Trisha Yurochko]

Melissa -
You are amazing - you really do "get it" when it comes to the insurance needs of kids. I know with your quiet demanor and determination you will be a very strong advocate for all kids. Good luck and I will be anxious to hear all about it when you get back. Trisha

[Sharon Clarken]

Hi Melissa,
I want you to know that there are not to many adults who would be able to say as eloquently as you do what our children today need in terms of health care benefits! I hope all of our legislators will open there eyes and think about their children, and their children's children, and start making better decisions to benefit all of us. I am very fortunate for Children's Hospital and all they have done for my three year old son! He is socializing so much better with his peers, and talking at a much more proficient level...all because of the therapists and staff here at Children's Specialized! I am so proud of what you are about to undertake!! You should serve as an inspiration to all those on Capital Hill! You have our full support!

Sharon Clarken
Family Faculty - Hamilton