*Please note this is a petition for Florida residents.

Right now, options for insurance in Florida for children with disabilities have serious limitations on the plans that are available. For a family of 4 to qualify for Children's Medical Services (CMS) they cannot make more than 51,500.01 per year. CMS, a part of Florida's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHiP), specifically serves children who have a more complex medical need, and typically covers anything that is medically necessary for the child and provides a wraparound case manager. If they lose CMS because their income exceeds the limit, they are considered a full pay family under Florida Kid Care. For a family of 4 with 2 children, their premium could increase from $15 or $20 a month to $230 per child in monthly premiums. They are also limited to one plan option, currently Sunshine Health. This is not a good option for these families as it is not the CMS Wellcare plan that families with lower incomes are able to access. It is a plan that has fewer options then the CMS plan. CMS Wellcare covers everything and includes a case manager among many other services. Children with disabilities access their health plans much more than typical children and need more coverage, even if the parent’s income is a bit above the poverty line. Often times, one parent stays home to care for the child or children, to take them to all their appointments and therapy. If they are able to work, they risk losing this benefit. This is a huge dilemma and very difficult situation for families who are already under plenty of stress and worry. Do they reduce their household income so they can qualify for better coverage for their child or do they purchase very expensive insurance that may or may not provide all the coverage their child might require because they are over the income guidelines for a subsidized rate?

We know that children with special needs who have access to quality healthcare, early detection and intervention as well as therapies, are more likely to require less interventions later on in life. They are also more likely to become contributing members of society later as working adults. The upfront costs involved will actually save tax payers much more money in the long-term and will allow our children to grow and live with dignity.

What can be done? The Florida Legislature and governor can change this situation for families. Make insurance significantly discounted and easier to access for all families with children that are disabled. There are a couple options: 1) Double the income requirements for families of a child with a disability which will improve everyone’s quality of life. So for a family of 4, they could make up to $103,000.01 per year and still qualify for CMS. They could save money for a family vacation, put something away for the future and keep up with their home. For families that fall in that “doubled amount” they could pay a slightly higher deductible like $30-40 a month or even as much as $100 a month if they could have a higher income and get all the benefits of CMS/Well Care. 2) Another option is allowing families with a child that is disabled to have private insurance that they pay into monthly through their employer and also have CMS to cover anything over that which is not covered by private insurance. This would be such a peace of mind to many families across the state of Florida. There are other states who have a similar system. There is no reason we can't do the same here in Florida. 

The first link is to a google doc that shows a chart of what the 4 different insurance options are in Florida with children with disabilities.

Chart of Insurance Choices for Children with Disabilities in Florida​

Sliding Scale Chart for Florida Kid Care​

Nationwide State of Babies Report​

Early Care and Education Quality and Child Outcomes Quality Care Research Report​

How Do Medicaid/CHIP Children with Special Health Care Needs Differ from Those with Private Insurance? (research)​

Autism Speaks Comparison on Access to ABA therapy in all States