Nearly half of children with special health care needs rely on Medicaid. Edwin Park of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities provides an analysis of the consequences of changing Medicaid to a block grant program.
Families from around California gathered in Sacramento February 27-28 for the 15th annual Family Voices of California Health Summit and Legislative Day. Presenters at the Summit included elected officials, community and agency leaders, as well as parent advocates. On Legislative Day, families and their children fanned out through the Capitol to visit legislators' offices and make the case for needed changes in the health care system.
Improving care coordination for children with special health care needs and their families is the goal of two grants awarded March 1 by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health. Researchers from Children's Hospital Buffalo will design a family-centered system of care coordination for children with medical complexity, and Health Management Associates will examine states that have made progress toward inter-agency collaboration.
Public health insurance programs like Medicaid cover nearly half of children with special health care needs (CSHCN) nationally. The Kaiser Family Foundation recently released an article outlining the important role Medicaid plays in the lives of these children and their families. Learn more and see specific data on California’s one million CSHCN, along with national comparisons.
February is American Heart Month. Isabella, a 4-year-old with Down syndrome and developmental delays, had open-heart surgery to correct a heart defect when she was 6 months old.
