Rocky Clark’s Law is a hard-fought win that any parent, grand parent, coach, youth sports league should know about and I am hopeful they will.

When we eagerly sign our child up to participate in soccer, Pop Warner football, gymnastics, are we reading the fine print? We never want to imagine our child being injured, but it happens. And what if it’s serious…catastrophic? What level of insurance do these sports leagues carry? How does that insurance interact with our personal policies?

Rocky Clark’s Law, a state law in Illinois, requires that schools cover students who suffer serious injury while participating in a school sport. Rocky Clark, a high school student who was injured on the football field, became a quadraplegic. The school policy covered his care until it didn’t (ten years later) and his family had to rely on Medicaid. Rocky has since passed away but his mother remains an advocate for parents and families and worked to get this legislation passed.

It is a state law. It covers public schools, some non-public school sport activities not youth sports leagues. However, it is a first step. This is an issue that I never considered until catching up with my cousin who has worked on this issue and with this family. She is a patient advocate and is familiar with such limits and shortcomings in insurance coverage. Again, I ask you, is your athlete covered?

My son is signed up to play Pre-K soccer this Spring and I don’t foresee any catastrophic injuries but do we ever. Nevertheless, I will read the fine print.

Watch ESPN’s Busted Coverage – Oct. 2012