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Some key findings include the following: People with disabilities experience significant health disparities and barriers to health care, as compared with people who do not have disabilities. People with disabilities frequently lack either health insurance or coverage for necessary services, such as specialty care, long-term services, prescription medications, durable medical equipment, and assistive technologies. Most federally funded health disparities research does not recognize and include people with disabilities as a disparity population. The absence of professional training on disability competency issues for health care practitioners is one of the most significant barriers preventing people with disabilities from receiving appropriate and effective health care. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has had limited impact on how health care is delivered for people with disabilities. Significant architectural and programmatic accessibility barriers still remain, and health care providers continue to lack awareness about steps they are required to take to ensure that patients with disabilities have access to appropriate, culturally competent care.

The Senate Finance Committee worked for eight days to amend Chairman Baucus’ Mark. In sum, close to 150 amendments were considered by the Committee on topics that included affordability, the public option, Medicaid expansions, private insurance market reform, and many more. Please join Families USA this Friday, October 9th at 3 PM, to demystify the Senate Finance mark-up.

A computer glitch in the state’s expanded children’s health-insurance plan that has randomly booted families out of the program is causing some patients to forego refilling critical prescriptions, according to several Bozeman doctors.

Complex Child is a monthly online magazine written by parents of children with special healthcare needs and disabilities.  It is intended to provide medical information, along with personal experiences, in simple language that other parents can understand.  Articles are on a wide variety of topics ranging from basic information on medical conditions and treatments to advice on how to beat insurance company denials. 

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is conducting the Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD) as part of a broader initiative to encourage disability beneficiaries to return to work. The demonstration provides youth ages 14 through 25 with employment-related services and waivers of certain rules governing the Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance programs, including childhood disability benefits. The waivers augment existing financial incentives for beneficiaries to work.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is conducting the Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD) as part of a broader initiative to encourage disability beneficiaries to return to work. The demonstration provides youth ages 14 through 25 with employment-related services and waivers of certain rules governing the Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance programs, including childhood disability benefits. The waivers augment existing financial incentives for beneficiaries to work.

Thousands of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries have learned how to stay in control of their benefits while enriching their lives through employment. You can too. Join us for a FREE Work Incentive Seminar Event (WISE) Webinar

ScienceDaily (Dec. 4, 2009) — In the United States, caring for a child with special health care needs usually means higher medical expenses for a family -- particularly for low-income families, who spend a disproportionally large share of their income on their child's care. Yet the amount of financial burden for these families also depends on their state of residence, says Paul T. Shattuck, Ph.D., professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis.

"The percentage of low-income families in a given state with out-of-pocket expenses that exceeded 3 percent of their income varied considerably according to state and ranged from 5 percent to 25. 8 percent (District of Columbia and Montana, respectively). Families living in states with more generous Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) benefits report less financial burden," Shattuck says.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness for Montana (NAMI Montana) works with and against politicians all of the time. We don’t care whether someone is a Democrat or a Republican. The real issue for our organization is whether the politician is trying to help the one-in-five Montana families affected by serious mental illnesses. In many instances, we’ll support a politician on one issue and then fight him on another. With Montana’s suicide rate repeatedly among the highest in the country, we can’t afford to be ideologues. There’s just too much at stake.

The health overhaul package passed by the House Sunday and sent to the Senate for final action is the most far-reaching health legislation since the creation of the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

While the underlying Senate bill will become law as soon as President Barack Obama signs it, additional changes will occur if the Senate passes the reconciliation-bill part of the package. The following is a look at the impact of the entire package, which would extend insurance coverage to 32 million additional Americans by 2019, but also have an effect on almost every citizen. Here's where things stand and how you might be affected:

After years of debate, a health overhaul is finally becoming a reality. Now what?

Many big provisions don't kick in until 2014, including the mandate for most folks to have health insurance and many new requirements for health-plan designs. Before then, you'll see a mishmash of other things go into effect at various times—and of course some of the changes depend on the Senate passing the House's so-called sidecar, or reconciliation, bill of changes.

Here are some ways you can start dealing with the new health-care landscape.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced grants to 41 health programs operated by the Indian Health Service; tribes and tribal organizations; and urban Indian organizations. The grants will help improve outreach and enrollment of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) uninsured children eligible for, but not enrolled in, their state’s Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP).

Blackfeet Tribe, Po'Ka ProjectMontana$300,000Indian Health Board of Billings, Inc.Montana$300,000

Among people with disabilities, the report indicates that having health insurance is more common as is living in inadequate housing. Meanwhile, individuals in this group are also more likely to have conditions like diabetes and hypertension. However, federal officials said they weren’t able to obtain a complete picture of the health experiences of people with disabilities as compared to others simply because too little information exists. Of the 22 topics studied, disability data was available for just eight.

Look at My Eyes is a revealing how-to book for families that is also useful to teachers. It's more of a short but practical guide than a memoir and includes such things as how to find a baby sitter for a special needs child, how to get insurance coverage, how to find agencies and therapies that help, how to give the right sort of attention to the child, as well as suggestions for fun and educational activities.

Click here to register for this event What: Thousands of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries have learned how to stay in control of their benefits while enriching their lives through employment. You can too. Work Incentive Seminar Events (WISE) provide you and your family the opportunity to learn how to take advantage of Social Security Work Incentives, including Ticket to Work. When: April 7, 2011 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. MDT MSU Billings/College of Education Building, Training Room #122 1500 University Drive Billings, MT  59101 April 14, 2011 9 :00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. MDT Best Western KwaTaqNuk Resort 49708 US Highway 93 East Polson, MT  59860 Register: Online or by calling 1-877-743-8237 (V/TTY).  Space is limited, so please register today! 

Click here to register for this event What: Thousands of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries have learned how to stay in control of their benefits while enriching their lives through employment. You can too. Work Incentive Seminar Events (WISE) provide you and your family the opportunity to learn how to take advantage of Social Security Work Incentives, including Ticket to Work. When: April 14, 2011 9 :00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. MDT Best Western KwaTaqNuk Resort 49708 US Highway 93 East Polson, MT  59860 Register: Online or by calling 1-877-743-8237 (V/TTY).  Space is limited, so please register today! 

What: Human Therapy on Horseback is hosting the 8th Annual Dinner and Auction at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kalispell. The event, being held on Saturday, May 7th, will feature a live and silent auction, a cash bar, a raffle and many door prizes. Roy Wilhelm and the Sundowners return this year for musical entertainment and dancing pleasure. The doors open at 4:30 with dinner at 6:30 and the live auction following dinner. Tickets for the Dinner & Auction cost $50 per person and tables of 8 are available. Tickets are available at Glacier Insurance Strategies at 2602 Highway 2 East in Kalispell or click on the Human Therapy on Horseback website, www.hthflathead.org. When: Saturday, May 7, 2011 4:30-10:30pm Mountain Where: Hilton Garden Inn 1840 Highway 93 South Kalispell, MT

Get organized. Create an organized medical file and save every piece of paper pertaining to a child’s disabilities, services, needs and more. Make copies monthly and scan new documents into the computer. Get educated. Research your rights, therapies, and more. Be willing to learn, ask questions, and keep asking questions until you understand. Educate others. Respond patiently with the appropriate information when people say hurtful things or respond in ignorance. Be persistent. Don’t give up when you can’t get an appointment. Instead of getting angry, keep restating your need in a nice way. Look for solutions. Instead of talking poorly about a doctor or the insurance company, focus on finding solutions. Take care of yourself. Take some time to care for yourself; otherwise you’ll quickly burn out and be unable to care for your child. Find time each day, even if it’s only 5 minutes, to focus on your own needs.

We are a nonprofit foundation created to help families acquire items beneficial to their children that insurance companies don't cover. We also provide educational items such as sensory friendly school supplies to families and emergency kits with sensory items for evacuations to schools. Each family can fill out one application per calendar year and can request up to $500 (including shipping costs) worth of materials. All items will be ordered directly from the vendor and no funds will be sent to the families. Please see our family application for guidelines.