Navigating how to fund our kids’ medical and therapeutic needs can often feel like a juggling act — Regional Center in one hand, Medical-Cal in the other, while private insurance, Self-Determination, and other avenues of care hang above our heads. Those familiar funding sources may step in when insurance doesn’t cover a service or support, such as durable medical equipment (DME) or alternative and out-of-network therapies, but what happens when they won’t? How do we close those gaps in care and take advantage of all the resources available to us?
How do we pay for it all?!
This week, we break down all the ways you can maximize your health plans, public benefits, and other resources to fund your child’s needs, services and medical supplies.
- Navigating funding systems is as fun as filing taxes! Just kidding! We’ve created a guide to funding resources that may not make this process fun but will hopefully add some ease as you tackle paying for it all. We have expert tips on Medi-Cal, Regional Center, the Self-Determination Program, and insurance, and a few new avenues of funding that you may not have known were there before.
- Did you know there is an “order of operations” when it comes to funding? We cover that and more in our conversation with Undivided Public Benefits Specialist Lisa Concoff Kronbeck and Undivided Director of Health Plan Advocacy Leslie Lobel. Read their 4 Tips for Funding Your Child’s Medical and Therapeutic Needs here! And for families who want a deeper dive, watch the full event replay here!
- If you already have health insurance coverage for your child, can you still benefit from Medi-Cal? Yes! Medi-Cal may be used as a secondary insurance to pay for certain expenses that primary health insurance doesn’t cover, such as co-pays, therapies, equipment, and more.
Feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to start? Undivided can help you make the most out of private insurance and public benefits, like Regional Center, Medi-Cal, and The Self-Determination Program. And speaking of funding, some of these sources may even assist with funding an Undivided membership, including 1:1 support from an Undivided Navigator to help you secure access to the public benefits your child is eligible for. For more information, read our article on How to Request Regional Center Funding for an Undivided Membership.
One Undivided member shares with us, “My wife and I finally got around to doing our Kickstart. We have done a ton of research and thought we had everything dialed in for our kids. We were wrong! In 1 hour, [our Navigator] uncovered several opportunities that we had never heard about, including a $500/mo Social Rec credit. She also educated us on how to reapply for IHSS, a program for which we had previously been denied. Our Kickstart has been more helpful than anything we have done since getting our children diagnosed.”
You can use private insurance and Medi-Cal together to pay for a service like ABA. Learn more from our tips on YouTube→- What could Medi-Cal cover for your child? Check it out on Instagram→
- In our private Facebook group, parents share big wins and everyday joys, like finding a good hairstylist for kids with disabilities, or finding a great local place for kids to socialize! Join our supportive community→
- Want to help businesses better support families like ours? Share our resources on LinkedIn→
- Are you taking advantage of all the benefits programs your child is eligible for? Find out during a free Kickstart. Start here→
Office Hours with Lisa Carey
On Wednesday, February 7, 12:00–1:00 p.m. PST, Education Advocate Lisa Carey will be available to answer questions about IEPs and special education. Stop by for five minutes or the whole hour to get expert answers and connect with other parents. Bi-weekly Office Hours are virtual Q&A sessions with experts that are open to Undivided members only, so if you’d like to attend, sign up here to begin your free Kickstart!
This newsletter was originally sent to our subscribers on 1/26/24. Subscribe to our newsletter to get more resources like this in your inbox, and check out our full library of articles, templates, and videos at undivided.io/resources.
