So THAT'S where our money has gone....

I try to post about what it costs to raise a child with special needs every once and awhile.  I do not do this to get sympathy, but to raise awareness.  I really do not think people understand how much it costs.  As we speak, our state is in a healthcare crisis.  Budgets are getting cut left and right.  Now they are looking to cut KidsCare and have already made huge cuts to the services offered through the Department of Developmental Disabilities.  Did you know (taken from an e-mail put out by Raising Arizona Special Kids)...

Since December 1st, state budget cuts caused 4,091 children with serious health conditions to be dropped from Children's Rehabilitative Services (CRS).
For most, this was their primary healthcare insurance.


Children with CRS conditions are generally not covered under most private health insurance plans.
Only 234 have qualified for the AHCCCS program.


If KidsCare coverage ends, another 900 children with special health conditions will be dropped from CRS.


This is their only healthcare insurance.


We do not qualify for AHCCCS, which also booted us out of CRS, so I feel for these families.  So far this year, we have spent $1538.04 on our private health insurance and $2840.09 on other medical expenses, for a grand total of $4,378.13.  This is actually a low number, since I know I paid cash for a few appointments (at least $200 worth) and wrote checks for quite a few before switching to credit card, and it does not include Madi's Amtryke, since we are using a generous donation from her great-Aunt and her Amazon.com associates money for that.  I know there are MANY families out there who have it worse off than we do.  I am very thankful we are able to pay her bills, even if it means we live a bit differently, and that we have insurance.  We are also very lucky that we have not had any big hospital stays this year, like we did last, that would have increased this number exponentially.  I would spend a million times that on her, because she is worth every penny.  My point, though, is this....  If you ever get a chance to have your voice heard, please stand up for our children.

"Any society, any nation, is judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members ; the last, the least, the littlest."  Cardinal Roger Mahony