First Steps offers needed support

To the editor:

My nephew contracted viral encephalitis when he was 1 month old and now has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and developmental delays. Through the government program First Steps, he has received physical, occupational and speech therapy, and his family has received the peace of mind of knowing they are doing all they can.

Now Gov. Matt Blunt has decided to cut funding for First Steps, claiming it will save tax dollars. I strongly disagree. First Steps helps disabled preschoolers develop motor skills that would be impossible to learn later in life. Without First Steps, these children would become more delayed, and public schools would find that their students require more intensive and expensive services.

Blunt wants voters to believe that children can receive the same services through Medicaid and private insurance. He fails to realize that Medicaid is limited by income, and many working families make too much money to qualify but not enough to afford expensive therapies and equipment. For those families lucky enough to have private insurance, coverage is usually inadequate. Insurance pays only $1,000 a year for my nephew's therapies, which cost over $1,000 a month. Insurance also pays little or nothing for equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers and orthotics, which can cost thousands of dollars.

Families of children with disabilities are stretched thin both financially and emotionally. Blunt promised to protect Missouri families. It appears his promise does not include the families of children with disabilities.

PAUL McFERRON, Advance, Mo.