My chronically ill child(15) has spent her 1 million lifetime health insurance maximum. what do we do now?

we make 100k a year.but even this is not enough for her medical expenses. Are there programs we can use if we make too much money but can't afford her medical care without insurance.

Somewhere I heard of Ill people becoming a " ward of the state". That is all that I have to give you so you can either check on your computer or go to a lawyer and see what it entails. {Shame shame shame on the jerk{ thats putting it mildly} how would you feel of a comment made to you if you have something similar no further comment. }

I'm not sure but I wanted to wish you the best and say good luck.

Talk to your phsycian, they can make some referrals. You should have been researching this stuf LONG ago if you knew this day was coming. the wheels of free money programs spin very very slowly. You WILL incur expenses before you hear anything.

The only program I know of is to get your daughter insured under SSI or some Medicaid program. You can also contact your State Insurance Commissioner and explain your problem and see if he can suggest some type of waiver under your current insurance program. I have heard of that happening.

Edit:
I just thought of one other possible avenue. If she is that sick, she must be a disabled child and you may be able to have her covered under yours, or her father's Social Security Disability program. It may well be worth a trip to your local Social Security Office to discuss it with a caseworker.

This is sad ):
But It depends on what she has, you might be able to apply for a grant like thing for her that is from a program dedicated to the certain illness she has.

Does the state not provide any healthcare?

As you already know by now, your child will not qualify for medicaid because of your income. Until she reaches the age of 18, and can apply for her own Medicaid coverage, she will not be considered.

It really depends upon the condition she suffers from. Is she considered totally disabled? If so, there will be more leniency toward her when it comes to things like eligibility under Medicaid.

However, you also should be aware that Medicaid is a very stringent program and does not cover everything. You will be required to receive services from certain physicians and facilities in order to be eligible for reimbursement of charges (pay the doctors.).

My wife and I went through this with our second son. I will warn you first that you won't like what I am about to tell you.

Our second son was born with neurological and pulmonary problems. As a result, he suffered chronic acute central apnea, and tonic clonic seizures.

No doctor could ever diagnose, or treat his condition, and it finally took his life at age 15.

When he was born I was a claims manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. But I had just moved to AZ from California, where I had also worked for Blue Cross. Because BCBS is a differenet entity in every state, it was as if I was starting all over again.

My wife was pregnant with him at the time and they considered her pregnancy a pre-existing conditon. There was nothing I could do to overcome this obstacle. Even with over 9 years in the BCBS organization.

Because she had experienced a high risk pregnancy with our oldest son that terminated in an early C-Section, she was also at risk for our second child. But because my BCBS coverage would not pay for her care, I had to find an alternative.

I left my job at BCBS. After a couple of months I exhausted my savings, and then became eligible for Medicaid. Medicaid then picked up the tab for my wife's pregnancy, which turned out to also be high risk and once again terminated in an early C-Section.

When he was born, we immediately knew there were problems. He spent most of the first 6 years of his life at Phoenix Children's Hospital.

The only way I coule retain eligibility for him, and get his medical bills covered, was to maintain my eligibility under Medicaid. This meant I could make no more than $1300 a month (combined income). And even that was cutting it close.

But I love my family so I will do whatever it takes to provide what it is they need. I endured much crticism from the rest of my family for doing this because I was always going to them for help. No one understood my position.

It stayed that way until the day he passed. Once he passed I was able to return to gainful employment and start making a decent income again.

Sometime you gotta do what you gotta do. Especially when it comes to our children. My attitude was that he had a right to enjoy a quality of life just like everyone else. Unfortunately, in order to ensure that he had what he needed, I had to swallow my pride and do what I knew was right.

That meant giving up my excellent job, using all of my savings and investments, and joining the ranks of the impoverished. I did not enjoy that classification, but it was something I felt I had to do.

It's a travesty that decent, law abiding, tax paying citizens have to make these kinds of choices. But the reality is that you will probably end up using your financial resources to support your child's needs anyways.

Just pray that you don't run out of money before she turns 18. Because once she is an adult, she can apply for Medicaid in her own name, and it is only at this point in time that your income will not be taken into account.

If she is totally disabled, she can also apply for Medicare. In that way she can have dual coverage to ensure her needs will be appropriately met.

I'm sorry I don't have anything more positive or uplifting to express to you. But the sad fact is that this is the way it is in the USA.

You can always contact me through my profile if you would like to know more. I have recently considered that I should write a book about these experiences.

Hope that helps, if for no other reason than to let you know there are others out there going through the same thing. Believe me WE FEEL YOUR PAIN!

You contact two places - your state children's health insurance plan (medicaid) to see if they qualify - in many states, they will, as they are no longer eligible for private benefits, and are chronically ill. Most states, for ill children like this, they only count the CHILD'S income, not the parents. You MIGHT need to see if you can find a "child advocate" through your local school system, if your child is of school age, who can help you with this process.

If not, you can check with your state insurance high risk pool. Not all states have one, and it has long waits.

wow ... only one million lifetime max ....

here in calif most plans have 5-6 million lifetime max ...

call a local insurance broker/agent and ask ...

here in calif we have MRMIP (major risk medical ins program)

GOOD LUCK !!!

United Healthcare offers "kids only" health insurance plans that provide children's coverage for sickness and accidents. Their plans are written through school districts and many private K12 schools throughout the US. Their health plan is designed to be affordable, at just $98 every 2 months. Check out www.k12studentinsurance.com to see if your child's school district (or private school) is participating. Click on the "Plans & Pricing" tab, enter the district name or private school name and the state in the search box and review the plans. If you donâ€™t find your childâ€™s school district, call UnitedHealthcare StudentResources at 888-282-5957 to see about adding it.

i am sorry for your predicament,but perhaps if you lived in a country where the health of the nation is more important than money you may have had a chance,i often hear americans slag off our national health service,perhaps it would be a good idea for any government to consider it,after all it is for the childrens health.all insurance companies are the same the world over,profit before life

I know it's not easy with the American health insurance the way it is (pre-existing conditions generally not covered) but have you looked into switching insurance companies?

Decades ago, there had been people in your situation that were forced to give their child up to the state so the child's medical costs would be covered. Between giving up a child and watching her die, some people chose the latter to the former.

But I'm sure you can find something. Even if you must move to another country; you'll do what it takes for your child. I'm sure you know what I mean.

take it to the news! then they will do something about it! seriously, do it!

Have you looked into taking her to Mexico for treatment? My Dad is going down there next month to have his teeth pulled because it is about five times cheaper.

Forgot to mention that there are plenty of American Doctors and Dentists down there who use state-of-the art facilities.
Can't figure out why I'm getting thumbs down on this reply. The half-socialized American health care is a rip-off!

move to enlgand and take advantage of the free health insurance- like everyone else!

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