ACT Family relies on Healthy Families

November 16, 2008  |  ABC News  |  Link to article

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Tadd Sexton was born in May 2005 with a relatively rare condition known as Vaters Syndrome.  For Tadd, this meant an emergency procedure to reroute his intestines through a colostomy, and two subsequent surgeries to reconstruct and reconnect his digestive tract into a more normal state.  Tadd is healthy today at nearly four years old, but will require regular, specialized treatment for the rest of his life.  Watching him run and play amongst his playmates, you would never suspect his underlying condition and history.

      When Tadd was born, his father, Jason, had just started a Ph. D program in the sciences, where he received four years of merit-based fellowship funding, while Tadd's mother, Monique, worked part-time as a community college instructor.  Neither parent received health coverage for dependents through their employer.  The family could not afford private health insurance for their son, nor could they qualify for Medical, which required a slightly lower income level.  Fortunately, the family was able to enroll in Healthy Families, a state-based and federally-funded program intended to catch families facing this potential gap in health care coverage.  Healthy Families, funded through SCHIP, gave Tadd vital health coverage while allowing his family to pursue the educational and professional goals that all families should be allowed to pursue without danger of medical and financial risks brought on by a lack of medical insurance.
Tadd and his parents have been working with PICO affiliate Sacramento Area Congregations Together (Sacramento ACT) for over two years to pass robust SCHIP legislation at the nation's capitol.  They have met on several occasions with members of the California State Legislature, California's Congressional Delegation, including Rep. Doris Matsui and staff of Speaker Nancy Polosi, and other members of the House and Senate in Washington, D.C. on behalf of Sacramento families.