How it works
Infant Ava's Story:
Little Ava has hydrocephalus and needs in-home nursing care 24/7, but the state doesn’t have sufficient funds yet to cover this kind of expense. During the eight or more hours a day when Ava’s nurse isn’t present, her family deals with whatever might happen with Ava’s condition: epilepsy, learning disabilities, memory and vision loss, and even more serious events.
The Answer: Universal Kids Foundation pays a provider for the hours of quality in-home nursing care not covered by insurance. This means a trained professional can immediately address Ava’s needs no matter when they occur.
Henry's Story:
Seven-year-old Henry has cerebral palsy, which interferes with his mobility and ability to communicate. His parents know that early intervention with an individualized treatment plan is crucial to their son’s future, but right now, Henry isn’t getting the equipment he needs to stay as mobile and communicative as he can.
The Answer: Universal Kids Foundation steps in to help coordinate care and pay suppliers for the costs of equipment and therapy not covered by insurance. The physical and mental health of Henry’s whole family soars!
Evelyn’s Story:
Evelyn, a teenager, needs a specific medication that requires prior authorization by Medi-Cal. Applying and waiting for an answer takes time—days during which her family can’t afford to get the drugs on their own. If the authorization is denied, appealing the decision means more time without the medicine.
The Answer: Universal Kids Foundation doesn’t make Evelyn wait; we pay for the medication until insurance agrees to take over.
With the help of dedicated healthcare professionals, volunteers and donors like you, we can team up with companies to provide treatment, therapy, home aid, hospice aid and financial support to these children and their families.
Provider Partners
At Universal Kids Foundation, our children’s safety and privacy are paramount. We use only medical providers that are vetted by a board of professionals and licensed by the State of California. All expenses must be fully documented and verified.
One such provider is Universal Home Care, whose nurses see firsthand what a huge difference the smallest changes can make to a child who’s hurting.
“Any child who’s on a ventilator or with a respiratory problem needs medication that opens their airways. There’s one that can be given every four hours—it acts fast but not for long, and one of the side effects is that it increases the heart. They really need the longer-lasting one, but right now, it’s $1,000 a month out of pocket. Just imagine the poor kid’s heart rate going up to 112 every four hours because his parents can’t afford the better medicine.”
– N.B., LVN, Universal Home Care
How It Works
“Of course insurance doesn’t cover everything. I’ll tell you a pet peeve of mine; it’s beds. Let’s say a child with lower extremity immobility who weighs 89 pounds has to be repositioned throughout the day. Insurance will only cover a semi-electric bed, which just moves the head and feet up. So between a mom who’s 5’4” and a nurse who’s 5’9”, they’re going to be [manually] cranking the ends of the bed up and down all the time. A fully electric bed would make a huge difference for everybody, but they’re very expensive.”
– D.R., LVN, Universal Home Care
A Word About California’s Healthcare
California has been ranked among the best states for low-income healthcare. Unfortunately, too many factors affect which children get how much healthcare. The result is that not every child receives all the treatments, therapies and medications they need.
Cost is still keeping low-income children with critical illnesses and disabilities from learning, growing and loving as they deserve.
By the Numbers
The average annual costs of many severe illnesses under pediatric care don’t diminish over time, like these:
Asthma -$13,600 a year
Fetal alcohol syndrome -$22,800 a year
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis -$300-$45,000 a year
Cerebral palsy + an intellectual disability –$50,000 a year
Critical congenital heart defects -$137,000 a year
Half of California’s families with lower incomes already face medical debt. (2023 California Health Policy Survey)
When insurance can’t pay, Universal Kids Foundation can.