Becky and Jimmy Picchetti

When Becky and Jimmy's son Tommy was only two weeks old, his doctors diagnosed him with heart disease. This was only the beginning of several serious health problems to strike Tommy in his first two months. His heart surgery led to other complications, including a stroke and bowel infection, so he had to be monitored in the hospital for six additional weeks. Afterwards, Becky and Jimmy took Tommy home where he was able to recover and play with his older brother, Andy.

After six months at home, Tommy returned to Children's Memorial Hospital because of a heart catheterization. At that time, his doctors performed a tracheotomy and Tommy went on a ventilator. Because of this intense and expensive medical care, the costs exceeded the limit of Jimmy's insurance coverage. Luckily, Tommy was able to continue his care uninterrupted due to a Medicaid DSCC waiver, which he was able to receive because of his intensive medical needs. Tommy remained on Medicaid until he was five. At that point, he was removed from the ventilator and was freed from the tracheotomy. The All Kids program transferred Tommy seamlessly from Medicaid without a gap in his medical care.

Tommy is doing much better as a result of the consistent care that he receives thanks to All Kids. When Tommy was first released from the hospital, he was a patient of 12 specialists. Today, he visits only six. However, with his suppressed immune system, Tommy will need highly specialized medical care for life.

Becky and Jimmy know that without All Kids, getting private insurance would be nearly impossible with Tommy's medical conditions. Even with All Kids, the Picchettis pay a lot for Tommy's medical care. The monthly premium is $100, in addition to doctor co-pays and Tommy's prescription costs. Jimmy is a plumber with union insurance and Becky stays home to provide Tommy's care. Because of the high cost of Tommy's expensive medical care, the Picchettis chose to move from their home to a more affordable home in the Chicago area.