Sure is a good thing he has GOVERNMENT-FUNDED HEALTHCARE!

So glad his GOVERNMENT HEALTHCARE/INSURANCE is helping his daughter keep fighting for her life. Too bad he doesn't think poor people deserve the same level of care.

I truly hope the child gets well, I wish her all the best. For Santorum, nothing!! If he thinks he can use his child's sickness to garner "sympathy" votes he's only kidding himself. The only thing he needs to do now is quit and go take care of his family he will never be elected to any office in this country again.

people complaining about "hateful words" directed at Santorum at this sad difficult time.

I haven't seen anything that wishes the child ill. I didn t read all posts of course but most people say nothing about the child OR wish her and the family well.

It is normal to see and feel the hypocracy in Santorums beliefs colliding with his situation. Severely effected children like Bella cost hundereds of thousands of dollars to care for per year. She is likely tube fed, may be on oxygen at night as well as other monitoring. Skilled nursing, PT in the home twice a week, likely OT and "speech" therapy (for swallowing) as well may be part of the package. She was born, she is a human child, and she deserves ALL OF THIS.

the problem is, for some of us, we know that Santorum wants to be OUR COUNTRY"S LEADER and lead us toward policies that will defacto KILL yes KILL I am not exaggerating MANY sick people. He supports the Ryan budget that will GUT Medicare.

Who knows what he'll do to Medicaid? I am pretty sure, for example, that most middle class and working class families with kids like THIS CHILD have them on Medicaid...all such children are eligible I believe to have it as a secondary insurance to cover everything the regular insurance doens't provide. I know two middle class families with a beautiful home, him a lawyer, she works for the state (has a Phd)...their genetically disabled kid a bit more developmentally typical Is on Medicaid. Because to even middle class families the expenses to care for such a child are CATASTROPHIC.

I know a kid that was brain injured in a famous local children's hospital and is developmentally like kids with Santorums' childs condition. THe parents did not sue the hospital because they knew if they won any settlement would provide care for less than five years (even several million dollars) and she'd need more. It was better for her to be on Medicaid. So they had to suck it up and let the hospital get away with the evil that they did (I read the medical records firsthand, they did to evil in this case...even tried to blame the parents...but I digress).

The point is, Santorum is being horrifically hypocritical in what his politics will allow other children like his daughter. But he loves his own child, so she gets the best. To point it out with anger and bitterness is NOT wrong. As long as you don't wish the child ill

and no one does.

so this is Liberal "compassion"? I thought all you godless amoral "Progressives" were about love for the human condition?

What a bunch of hypocrites! Just like that big eared skinny assed incompetent moron in the White House!

I hate to see little kids have to suffer illness. It's a crying shame. I can only hope she can pull through again. The little ones should be free to run and play and laugh.

As for Mr. Santorum - it seems obvious to me that his karma is now in his face. How many other parents are faced with the emotional hurt of a severely sick child suffering? How many other parents are forced to risk the financial stability- for all the rest of the family- to ease the suffering of a child?

Ol' Ricky boy may be in good health now but let's give him another 25-30 years AND disconnect him from government funded health coverage. We can banter all day about morals and politics - but the bottom line in healthcare is money. Pure and simple - MONEY. There's been several million that have died before today - and that trend is most likely to continue as no human has ever escaped death. Death is less of a question about when - but how. And unless you are lucky enough to go out in a moment - you are going to pay huge amounts for treatment just to push death out a bit further.

I am 57, with no major health problems, and now, unemployed. Cobra wanted $1800 a month for minimal coverage from a guy on unemployment. The gamble is that a major medical emergency will not occur before re-employment (re-insured).

Just before I was laid off, I had an episode of severe chest pains. Yes, I went to the ER. Got there at 7 AM....left at 2PM. Final result: false alarm.

MY Bill Total : 8814.54

I paid: $150

Ins Company Total: 5006

My point here is that if I did NOT have insurance, the bill would have been almost double. Now how in the hell is a guy on unemployment supposed to pay a $8800 hospital bill??? Why in the hell does the insurance company get such a huge discount - but I don't ??? Anybody heard about blood and turnips?? And how far out did I push death? Is there any 'guarantee' I'll get another 10 years - or will I find myself back at the ER next month? Does my overall health status now contain a pre-existing condition??

And here Ricky boy is taking his young, innocent little girl back to the hospital yet again. Without insurance coverage - how many of us would REALLY be able to sustain the financial impact and keep a roof over our heads??? How many of us have to get caught between a child and food???

And yet Ricky boy wants to gut the only source of safety net for health care. He's a gawddamn hypocrit.

Sorry for the little girl...hope she gets better. Hope that Santorum is thinking about OTHER little kids around the country who may be in the same position but are unable to afford the same medical care that his daughter is getting....but then Republicans never worry about anyone but themselves

Because he was a senator, Rick Santorum and his family are WELL covered by government insurance...for life....at no cost. Why do our leaders vote themselves the best insurance coverage in the world and deny the rest of us? Any situation like this is sad, but even more so for the parents who don't have access to the best treatements in the world for their children.

Who the Hell is paying for this?

A week ago Santorium was lounging at the pool, and now his daughter is sick enough that she has to be hospitalized, poor kid.

I kinda see what kind of President he would be when the country needs leadership.

Too bad the hypocritical piece of sh** Sanctimonious is covered by tax payer funded healthcare at the same time he wants to deny health care to everyone that is not a crooked politician or rich.

IF Santorum and his wife were responsible adults (given her age), they would have engaged genetic testing early during the pregnancy, and terminated the pregnancy when it was discovered the serious defects present in the creature they conceived. Instead, they took the self-centered and irresponsible path that led to the birth of this unfortunate child. They completely deserve any and all criticism they receive, regardless of the source. The both of them should spend all eternity in the Hell they believe in for the terror they have caused their child, and for breeding beyond a reasonable number of children.

I agree with Spiritguy. No parent should have to see their child suffer. It's horrible and for anyone to be glad about it, revel in it or any such thing says a lot about them and how sick they are.

navyvet98

Hiding behind the anonymity of the internet while falsely claiming to be a U.S. military veteran is beyond the pale.

The real U.S. veterans are being done a disservice by the likes of you, especially considering that you use this false military pseudonym to troll.

You should be ashamed.

I wish all children in America who have these illnesses could get the same quality care as Santorum's daughter, but it looks like he is fighting to take away the ability for poorer Americans to get that care. Hope their daughters can rest in peace while his lives on.

I wish Bella well but it does bring up an interesting point. I have a son with Trisomy 21 and the insurance company refused to cover him after 30 days. Back in 1984 when he was born, they could do that if you did not have a group policy. My husband and I had to sell our restaurant to get the life-saving medical care he needed. He also had to take a job with a company that had group insurance so we could continue to keep our boy alive and as healthy as we could. The difference between us and Santorum is money and the ability to find health care and be able to pay for it. No American should have to give up the livelihood they enjoy and love just to provide basic care for their family. All of you people who are against Obamacare have no idea what could happen to you or your family in the blink of an eye.

Santorum may be bat---t crazy but that should not harden your heart against his baby girl's plight.

best wishes for this beautiful child

First off - Bella does not have an illness or disease. She was born with a chromosomal anomaly, and WILL NOT recover/get better. It is unusual that she has lived this long. And, length of life does not equate with quality of life.

There are extreme cognitive disabilities with this condition, so the thought that she's just a regular little girl, waiting to get better so she can go back and enjoy a full life with her family isn't realistic.

What I don't know is if there is chronic pain/discomfort or suffering with this condition, but my guess is, if not chronic, probably frequent.

So, then you get to the question - did the Santorums know their child was afflicted with this genetic disorder before she was born?

gv-Kailua you are correct about the child's condition. Before the age of modern medicine where they can keep you "alive" sometimes for years of hopeless agony, a child like this would have mercifully passed away probably shortly after birth. What this child is being forced to endure is defying the natural order of life and death. Is it parental love that won't let the child go no matter how she has to suffer, only to buy a few more weeks, months or even years of an existence with virtually zero quality of life? If she could be cured...maybe , but cure for this is not in the cards.

I'm not trying to be judgemental in this instance, only to pose a quandry. I speak from experience. My own son passed away 2 years ago at the age of 28. He spent the last 12 years bedridden or propped in a wheelchair totally dependant for his every need. Like Bella, there was no cure from birth. Fortunately he was able to enjoy a relatively good childhood but faced frequent and agonizing operations and hospitalizations all his life. Several times he was brought back from the brink of dying and recovered enough to be sent home to sit in his wheelchair with oxygen and full time nurses. My ex wife and I had differing opinions about these marathon efforts to make him keep living. I wanted to see his suffering allowed to end but my ex simply could not bear the thought of her own life without him. I did not have custody so I allowed her wishes to prevail.(maybe I was afraid of how it would make me look) When he was hospitalized the final time with pneumonia he spent 6 months fed through a tube and intubated to keep him breathing. Finally when the doctors convinced my ex that he could not recover enough to take him off life support she relented and gave permission to let him go. Even though my son's suffering finally ended, I still wrestle with the idea that I failed him as a father by allowing his tortured life to be needlessly extended for so long, thus the quandry I feel when I see a story like this one which closely parallels my own. It's a tough place for a parent to be but just ask yourself the question , is it your love for your child or your own pain and fear that motivates you to keep him alive and suffering when there's no hope.

NavyVet - Your post moved me to tears and bless you sharing your story with such honesty. You did what was best for everyone, and I would have to assume that your son would also have done all in his power to allow his mother the time she needed to accept losing him. I have nothing but respect for every word that you posted above - you are truly a good man, and an even better father.

I terminated a pregnancy when my husband and I learned that the child we had conceived had Trisomy 13 - similar to Trisomy 18 (what Bella has), but even more severe with horrific deformities. The decision to end his suffering was the most difficult thing I have ever done, and I am thankful that I had the support of my husband and family, and access to some of the best maternal-fetal medicine doctors in the country - thanks to our insurance. I can't imagine what an uninsured couple would go through when faced with the same situation.

Accepting and letting go is the hardest path, but sometimes it is best one to choose. Like you, I also felt selfish knowing my child was suffering, and continuing that pregnancy was only prolonging an agonizing life and painful death. I will always love and cherish him, as he taught my husband and I more about life and love than any living person could dare try.

These are personal decisions - and my problem with Rick Santorum is that he would want to pass laws that make what we chose to do illegal. He thinks everyone should handle these types of medical decisions in the same way that he and his family has - and never considers that even with an million-dollar income he struggles to pay Bella's medical costs - how can a blue-collar family without insurance and making less than $80,000/year - with both parents having to work to make ends meet - expect to care for a child like this??

Personal decisions should remain personal - politicians have no right to make a medical procedure illegal.

All that being said - I wish strength to the Santorum family, and best wishes for peace for beautiful little Bella and her agonizing struggle with life.

Obama's healthcare plan is God's Plan. Please MR. Santorum God is sending you a message. Pls let every children in America have the same health care your child is enjoying. What if insurance company drop your child due to PRE-EXISTING condition. Pls tell Supreme court that they are not Supreme Being. Allow insurance for every Americans. The money we wasted in Iraq and Afghanistan will cover every Americans for the next 300yrs. Every child is precious SANTORUM. Wish your child a fast recovery SANTORUM

A compassionate society would have put this poor child out of its misery at birth. Think of the dozens of healthy children that could have been raised out of poverty with the resources spent to give this unfortunate creature nothing but a few years of suffering before she dies.

The Santorums have medical equipment in their Virginia home and and a nurse on call that can tend to Bella.

Luck for her, her parents are wealthy and have health insurance - paid for by the US TAXPAYERS.

This would be a good time for him to drop out. He is the worst candidate ever. He is loud, rude, says ridiculous things about every day He is an embarrassment to the republicans. I am sorry for the child, but he is probably using that for sympathy.