Responses (N=239 from 12 states) to a cost survey on support services for children with disabilities indicated an average per annum expenditure of $5,282 per family (excluding surgeries) and a cost of $95,083 to raise a child to age eighteen. Options must be developed for the increasing number of individuals who find themselves medically…

The Surgeon General's report on children with special health needs proposes seven action steps needed to implement a community-based family centered health care approach. Recommended are the following actions: Pledge a national commitment to all children with special health care needs and their families; Encourage building community-based service…

The debate about cost as it pertains to medical technology misses the mark by not pressing on the central problem of increased prevalence of chronic illness. Far from cost containment, what are needed are additional services which may in the end reduce total costs. (Author/MJL)