The mismanagement of state welfare systems exposes children to emotional abuse and physical abuse, worsening the damage and personal injury these children endure when their basic healthcare is unavailable to them. According to an April 2026 report by Andrew Jones from KFF Health News and CBS News, these administrative failures were seen after North Carolina’s transition to a new $3.1 billion Medicaid managed care plan called Healthy Blue Care Together. The specialized insurance, meant to be more accessible healthcare for foster and adopted children, instead caused a severe crisis that prevented major state health systems like UNC Health from participation. For eight-year-old Ollie Super, an adopted former foster child battling a aggressive recurrence of neuroblastoma, this meant that her “last option” for life-saving CAR T-cell therapy was suddenly denied by. While Blue Cross Blue Shield and state officials finalized an emergency agreement in mid-March to cover Ollie’s multimillion-dollar trial, thousands of other medically complex foster families across North Carolina are still stuck in limbo. Doctors report being locked out of medical history databases, prescriptions are being denied, and major surgeries continuously being canceled.
Jones, A. (2026, April). How an insurance plan for foster kids threatened an 8-year-old’s cancer care. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/foster-children-state-health-insurance/