Childrens' health care limited

(WTNH) --For more than a month the Connecticut Children's Medical Center hasn't accepted Anthem Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurance.

Eighteen-month-old premature born twins Madeline and Brady O'Connell rely on their health insurance to cover continuous checkups. Brady is waiting to undergo a test that he needs.

Brady underwent surgery last year. He requires good health insurance because of the checkups he will need in the future.

"He's had hydrocephalus for over a year now and had multiple surgeries last year which we were under Anthem and the coverage was very good. However he needs precautionary checkups, including an MRI," said Brady's mother Sarah O'Connell. Sarah and Tim O'Connell canceled an MRI for Brady after they were notified their health insurer, Anthem Blue Cross-Blue Shield would no longer cover Connecticut Children's Medical Center.

"If something happens, he has a shunt installed in his head and it has a failure rate of about 50 percent with the first two years, so in any moment, it could clog, it could malfunction," said Tim.

"Their doctors and all their staff are amazing, so we really don't want to go anywhere else but I think if it happened in a moment's notice, we'd have to," said Sarah.

A reimbursement rate from Anthem for hospital services is 28 percent below the national average according to the CEO of Connecticut Children's Medical Center Marty Gavin. "I am confident it will be resolved. It is in the best interest for the children, Connecticut Children's Medical Center and Anthem," said Gavin. Aetna, United Healthcare and ConnectiCare recently signed on with new contracts. Meanwhile families like the O'Connells are caught in the middle, as the stress piles up.

"It's tough having a child who may have surgery in the future, but now to deal with the financial issues, it adds another layer, it adds more worry, it adds more stress," said Tim. Anthem issued the following statement which read in part "committed to working to ensure a smooth transition for their members that they have until June 1, to submit transition forms to continue care if they are undergoing active treatment."

Read the original post:

Childrens' health care limited

Related Posts

Comments are closed.