Resource Spotlight: Healthcare & Mental Health Services in Post Adoption

Resource Spotlight
brought to you by

a ministry of America World Adoption

 “….a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”  Ecclesiastes 4:12

 

Understanding Healthcare and Mental Health Services in Post Adoption

Healthcare has become increasingly complicated in today’s world.  This can be especially significant for families who have adopted children with pre-existing conditions and mental health needs.  It is important that families understand their healthcare and how to meet their child’s needs; this post will touch briefly on two vital topics in this arena.

Healthcare Sharing vs Medical Insurance:  For a variety of reasons, some families are turning to healthcare cost-sharing programs in place of traditional medical insurance.  While this can be a good solution for some families, it is important to understand that most of these programs DO NOT cover pre-existing conditions or mental health services.  Both of these factors can be very important in adoption.   Almost every adopted child comes into a family with a pre-existing condition, even if it is just a need for testing to see if there are any issues such as parasites or nutritional deficiencies.  Healthcare sharing plans usually do not cover these costs associated with anything that could be considered pre-existing.  Furthermore, many children by adoption, and their families, have a need at some point for counseling related to their history of trauma and/or loss.  Counseling can be costly, and inpatient or residential treatments can be very expensive.  Without traditional healthcare insurance to help cover these costs, some families find they can’t meet the needs of their children.  Therefore, it is vital that all adoptive families understand their healthcare coverage.

Adoption Competent Therapy:  Therapy can be very helpful to adopted children and their families, but it is vital that the therapy not overlook the significance of adoption.  When exploring counseling or occupational therapy options, parents should ask questions about the professional’s training and experience in adoption related issues.  Therapists without such training can misdiagnose or provide inadequate treatment if they do not take into account the impact of the child’s history of trauma, loss, institutionalization, transracial family, and adoptive relationships.  We believe that competency in adoption-related issues is key to successful counseling for adopted children and their families. 

If you have questions about these or other related topics, feel free to reach out to us at ACT@awaa.org.  America World founded the ACT program to help give families around the nation convenient access to adoption competent professionals through video-conference.  ACT (Adoption Coaching and Training) is a ministry of America World Adoption designed to support families through training, support groups, and individualized coaching.  While we are unable to accept medical insurance due to the national scope of our services, we attempt to keep our costs manageable.  Explore ACT services on our website, and reach out to us today for a free consultation to make a plan to meet your needs.