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Protect Children in Health Reform
CDF's Health Coverage for All Children Campaign, a national, state, and local initiative to guarantee comprehensive health and mental health coverage for all children and pregnant women in America.
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The Bostic Family
Bostic Family - Marihelen, 1; Elizabeth, 5; Michael, 10; Steffie, 17, Dublin, Ohio: The Bostic Family had been on and off Ohio’s Medicaid program for more than six years, ever since the father was in a serious car accident. After breaking his back and permanently damaging his sciatic nerve, Marc Bostic lost his job, and because of his injuries and limited mobility, his employment record has been erratic. Taking care of their four children on a limited income has been difficult for Marc and Patti Bostic, especially when it comes to health care. They were covered by Medicaid, but each time they had to reapply, some bureaucratic snag would interrupt their coverage. And even when the children were covered, the parents often had tremendous difficulty in getting prescriptions for them. Elizabeth, who requires medication for her allergies; Michael, who needs medicine for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Tourette Syndrome; and Steffie, who requires medication to regulate her periods, all have had to go without the prescriptions that could significantly help or alleviate their conditions.
After using up all of their savings, the family was recently forced to sell their home and move in with Patti’s sister. No one in the family has had health insurance since July 2006, so the children haven’t seen a pediatrician for a year. Marc and Patti have had to seek out clinics where the two youngest children can get immunization shots, and without his medication, Michael is acting out in school and having difficulty keeping up with his studies. Marc must pay $150 out-of-pocket each month for his pain medication.
Patti recently started a new job but her company has a six-month probation period, so she won’t be eligible to enroll herself and her children in their insurance plan for another three months. Until then, they will have to remain uninsured and hope that no one gets seriously sick or hurt, because her salary is too high for them to qualify for Medicaid.
Marc Bostic, father of four, tells his story of how difficult it is to get and keep health insurance for his children.
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