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Foster kids may be overly medicated

12/05/11

According to a recently released federal report, foster children on Medicaid receive more medication than other children who are covered by the government insurance program.

The study, which was conducted by the Government Accountability Office, raised concerns that children in the foster care system might too often be treated with psychiatric drugs.

"The high-risk practices identified by the GAO study raise significant concerns regarding the treatment of severely mentally ill and vulnerable youth," child psychiatrist Jon McClellan of the University of Washington told lawmakers.

Foster children are wards of the state in homes where certified caregivers or foster parents take care of them on a short-term basis until a permanent home can be found. They sometimes experience emotional and mental issues requiring medication, but the study found that they are given excessive doses of antidepressant, antipsychotic and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drugs.

U.S. senators have voiced their concern with the condition of foster kids who are over-medicated, saying federal and state agencies that oversee Medicaid need to discontinue overprescription of the drugs.

The uncertain effects of these prescriptions highlights the importance of investing in life insurance at an early age to prepare for any unexpected health conditions that might arise later in life. Eleven million American households with a person under the age of 18 have no form of life insurance, according to a LIMRA study. 

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