The medical side of a special need can mean big medical bills. The cost of surgeries and outpatient procedures, therapies, medications, and specialized equipment adds up quickly. Every family needs health insurance, and it becomes a more extreme need for the family with a child with special needs.

Private Health Insurance

Insurance is gold to the family trying to keep up with an avalanche of medical bills. Having two insurance providers is great. Having high-paying plans is even better. However, parents of the child with special needs often find that the decision for both parents to work is complicated due to child care.

Government Supported Health Insurance

Some children may be eligible for a government medical insurance program such as Medicaid. Parents' income cannot disqualify a child from being eligible, but there are other factors that come into play. You must first apply for Medicaid in order for your child's eligibility to be considered. Only a qualified caseworker can help you determine if your child qualifies.

Children of working families who do not qualify for Medicaid may be eligible for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). This program (offered in every state) offers free or low-cost health insurance for basic medical care. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid website lists doctor visits, immunizations, hospitalizations, and emergency room visits as services covered under SCHIP.

Organize Medical Treatment Documents

Create an insurance notebook to keep track of all of your paperwork. You will need the following supplies:

• Sturdy three-ring binder, three inches thick

• Dividers (one for your insurance company information and one for each provider)

• Three-hole punch

• Notebook paper

• Notebook-sized calendar

• Pencils or erasable pens

Setting up an insurance notebook is easy. Following through and using it is the trick. Make sure you have copies of your insurance cards and policies in the front of the notebook. Then add some lined paper to the front of each section so you can document your child's office visits and any contact you have with that office or with the insurance company. Remember to put the date at the beginning of each entry.

As you receive reports or billing statements, place them in the correct section with the most recent ones in front. If you have two insurance providers, you will need to keep statements from both companies together for tracking payments from each company made on the same bill. Having all of the medical billing information in one place will help you locate information when you are paying bills, calling for clarification, or verifying that all claims have been processed.