Penny wise, pound foolish?
March 11, 2010
Williams resident Martha Nickles worries for herself and her two boys.
Son Thomas, 14, has Asperger's syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Without his medication, he acts out violently in school.
Son Michael, 13, also has Asperger's and ADHD. He also had a mild case of cerebral palsy as a child. Without his medications, he has seizures.
Nickles, who lives at the poverty line and qualifies for Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System insurance, needs medications for a thyroid condition and high blood pressure.
In all, she receives about $900 a month in medications through AHCCCS.
"If I don't have this program, 90 percent of my income will go to medications," Nickles said.
But the Legislature is considering lowering income eligibility limits for AHCCCS in order to help balance the budget. And Nickles, along with more than 310,000 other Arizonans, will no longer be eligible as a result.
