Interesting article in the WSJ this morning....
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444025204577544903956302684.ht
ml?mod=googlenews_wsj
particularly, links to resources to assist parents in estimating lifetime
costs:
MassMutual, MetLife and Merrill Lynch all have advisers who are certified to
work with families with special-needs children. Some independent advisers
also cater to this group.
Your adviser and other special-needs specialists can help you determine what
benefits your child is eligible for and what is covered by your
health-insurance plan. Special-needs children often qualify for Supplemental
Security Income from the federal government as well as for Medicaid. Many
states also offer other benefits or mandate that insurers offer some
coverage. You can find states' coverage laws for autism, for instance, on
the site of the National Conference of State Legislatures (Go to ncsl.org
and search for "autism.")
Once you know what's covered, you can figure out what you'll need to pay for
out-of-pocket. Take into account all of the costs related to your child's
disability, including tutoring, transportation and nursing care. Merrill
Lynch has an online calculator that can help parents estimate such costs
over a lifetime. (Go to specialneedscalc.ml.com
.)
Has anyone used these resources?
Ann Neulicht
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