Hampden family fights for more pediatric Medicaid funding

BALTIMORE - When your child gets sick, as a parent, your first instinct is to call the doctor and hope everything's OK.

But for some families the reality is their children are facing some serious illnesses and advanced medical treatment is needed.

They've learned from experience how access to good healthcare can mean the difference between life and death.

Meet little Simone Svikhart. This 3-year-old girl from Hampden is a fighter.

She's been treated for a number of illnesses since birth and needs constant medical care. Her mom, Shannon, had to quit her full-time job to take care of Simone, but that hasn't been enough.

The family relies on Medicaid which provides a nurse to visit daily.

Simone has constant doctors visits and therapies she needs. And that's why her parents are going to DC today to ask lawmakers to preserve funding for pediatric care.

Another thing they hope to bring attention to is better access to specialty care. A lot of times kids with serious illnesses who need to see a specialist have to wait months.

So they're hoping lawmakers will do something to improve overall pediatric care.