Relief

After literally hundreds of hours over the last 30 days, I am so happy to update you on Keyan’s Medicaid. We got the official letter that states her Medicaid has been approved and was retroacted back to September 1, 2011!

 

I have not fought that long and hard for something in a long time. On average, I was spending 4-6 hours a day making phone calls, sending emails and faxes, going to meetings, and gathering information. There were so many government officials, law makers, Senators, Congressmen, etc. working on this project that they all knew who Keyan was and her story.  In the end, she was approved for a Medicaid Waiver program that only about 100 other people are on in the State of Michigan.  It is a program that looks at the level of care she needs and her medical condition and compares that to the cost of taking care of her in the hospital.  Obviously, it is cheaper to take care of her in our home, so she was able to qualify.  It was an unbelievable web of bureaucratic logistics but we were finally able to navigate them all.  I am waiting for one last phone call to clear up some of the minor details but everything should be set for the next year.  At that point there will be a medical review for continuation on the program.  This particular waiver is a federal program that states can choose to offer and we were warned that there is a lot of talk at the government level as to why Michigan is offering this expensive program.  However, for now, I am not going to worry about that.  All I know, is right now, she has the additional coverage that she needs and we can breath a huge sigh of relief! Thanks so much for all of your suggestions, prayers, good thoughts, and listening ears as we have endured this highly stressful time.  My battle for Keyan may be over for the moment, but I will not stop talking about the group of kids like her who are falling through the cracks of our system.  I will not stop talking about the “advice” we were given regarding lying, separating, quitting our job, or giving our child up.  No family should face these decisions!