Child Adoption Medical Help

Nothing is more important than the health and well being of your child. If you need help providing medical care for your child we want you to know that help is available. 

Committed to the well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults, the American Academy of Pediatrics can provide an adopting family with general information related to child health and with guidelines concerning many child health related issues.

Medline Plus is a National Institutes of Health site that offers baby care and health related information from a variety of professional sources. It offers extensive information on a wide variety of illnesses and diseases, lists and hospitals and physicians, provides a medical encyclopedia and dictionary, and gives information on prescription and nonprescription drugs.

This is an excellent source of health related information.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the premier public health agency in the U.S. with the responsibility to protect the health and safety of all Americans and for providing essential human services.

The Family and Medical Leave Act mandates that an employer must grant an eligible employee up to a total of 12 work-weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period in regard to a child that is adopted or born to a person or couple.  To see the actual text of the Act please visit U.S. Department of Labor website or the link Family and Medical Leave Act on the website Child Adoption Laws.

The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 mandates that adopted children the same access to health insurance as birth children.  Knowing about the small section of this large Federal Law can save you many thousands of dollars.  When you check with your insurance carrier, please ask them how they comply with this act and be aware that most insurance companies do not give adopting families information consistent with this Act. 

The link Adoption Health Insurance Issues discusses this in more detail and you can review the actual text of the Act you can click on this link.

The Hepatitis B Foundation will help you learn about infections caused by viruses that directly attack the liver. Chronic viral hepatitis can lead to life-threatening liver cirrhosis (or scarring), liver failure, and liver cancer.  It is an issue especially with international adoptions.

International Adoption Medical Clinics can be very valuable resources in helping to evaluate the health of a child that has been referred to you.  They can also help if the child has an ailment that is not common and  not easily diagnosed treated. International adoption medical clinics also provide advice on immunizations and post adoption medical examinations

The University of Minnesota International Adoption Medical Clinic is just one of several clinics that can review child adoption referral materials and give you a medical opinion on the health of the child.  This is especially helpful in an international adoption.

Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provides children of families who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, yet cannot afford to buy private insurance, with coverage for a full range of health services. To find the CHIP contact in your state, click on link at the beginning of this paragraph.

State Health Departments are very good resources to find out about special heath services and programs in your state.  Click on the link at the beginning of this paragraph to find the Health Department in your state.

Drug Prescription Assistance Programs provide free or low-cost medications to low-income individuals and families.

Free Medical/Dental Clinics will give you information about free medical and dental clinics.

Government Benefit Programs can help you find government programs to help your child.  Additionally, information on financial aid and other U.S. government benefits are listed by agency and subject matter on the U.S. Government benefit website.

National Organization for Rare Disorders offers free medication to people who otherwise cannot afford their medications.

Vaccines for Children Program provides free vaccines to doctors who serve eligible children by providing routine immunizations with little to no out-of-pocket costs.