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There is no stronger advocate for a child than their parent. Any parent of a child with a disability knows it, and I’ve experienced it firsthand as I’ve advocated for my eldest son in the Arizona healthcare system. My son contracted bacterial meningitis at six months old, which left him with a traumatic brain injury and has led to Intractable epilepsy, cerebral palsy, communication struggles and other life long disabilities. Between moves and other changes within our family, Medicaid has been there when our son and family needed it most.
Medicaid expansion under the current presidential administration has brought our family, and countless others, immense hope for not only our child’s wellbeing but for the future of our healthcare system. Because of federal support and authorization from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Parents as Paid Caregivers, a policy initiative that I’ve helped lead the Arizona-wide advocacy for, has been expanded.
The above excerpt was originally published in the Arizona Daily Star.
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