Impact of Budget Cuts on Children with Medical Conditions

• More than 200,000 children in Arizona have disabilities and special health care needs
• Children are eligible for the CRS program based on specific medical diagnoses, such as Cerebral Palsy, Cystic Fibrosis, Neurofibromatosis, Sickle Cell Anemia, Metabolic Disorders, Spina Bifada, Cleft Lip/Cleft Palate, and Congenital Heart Anomalies.
• The elimination affects more than 800 U.S. citizen children in Arizona, specifically, children who are not eligible for Medicaid and who do not have other insurance coverage, but whether that coverage includes the treatments and diagnoses of the children is undetermined.
• The lack of access to regular, preventative, and on-going care, and the serious nature of their health conditions, leads to these children developing more serious complications.
• Without access to medications to control and manage serious conditions, or surgeries to correct problems, their prognosis is poor and they become increasingly disabled, and end up in the ER as an “uncompensated care” cost for the hospital.