
Children with high-risk, complex conditions — such as those who need ventilators to breathe — often receive disjointed care, scattered among many providers. This leads to emergency room visits and hospitalizations that could have been avoided. And once in the hospital, many children remain longer than they should for lack of good home care.
At home, families face daunting challenges. They must learn to use and maintain their children’s medical equipment and handle emergencies. They often have little or no access to home nursing services. Private insurance rarely covers home nursing for more than a limited number of hours, and Medicaid pays too little to attract qualified nurses. Many parents end up quitting their jobs to provide care. …