Joshua first came into my life as a Foster Care special risk placement. He was just one year old. He was about two when I adopted him. He hadn’t been diagnosed, that came later. In fact, my adoption decree states “healthy baby boy.” But, when he was about three I began noticing some issues. Joshua’s adoption provides his insurance coverage under traditional Medicaid. He’s got his own policy, under his own name, I don’t have to fight for it or worry about how to get him what he needs. That means that from the start, immediately when he was diagnosed, Medicaid was there for him, providing the testing and interventions and the home based therapy services he needed.
“Medicaid matters because it supports adoptive families in providing a thriving family home, including to special needs kids.”
The fact that Joshua’s coverage was guaranteed under his adoption didn’t influence me, but it has meant so much knowing that he would always be covered, regardless of whether I lost my own insurance or not. When adopting a child, parents often don’t know their children’s full biological medical history. In Joshua’s case, I only had medical history for his birth mother. Knowing at the time that his medical needs would be met was very re-assuring. And, since his diagnosis, Medicaid has paid for the kinds of comprehensive treatments and interventions that will have a real and positive impact on his whole life.
Even with early intervention, Joshua has had challenges, including an extended hospital stay. During that time, I saw so many kids whose treatment was interrupted because their private insurance wouldn’t pay. They would come and go from the hospital program with real setbacks just because of insurance. Medicaid provides quality management of services for the best possible outcomes. When Joshua was first admitted I immediately got a call from a case manager at Neighborhood Health Plan. They became an important part of Joshua’s team. They checked in with me every week and even attended meetings and appointments as we coordinated his release. I can’t imagine living through the same scenario without that support like I’ve seen other parents have to do.
Despite the challenges, Joshua is making progress. He’s growing up. He has his own hopes and dreams, including going to college. He wants to develop computer software and games. Medicaid’s coverage has helped make sure he gets the treatments and therapy he needs now so that he can realize those dreams in the future.