-
Health Insurance
Do you guys carry private health insurance? Do any of you rely on Medicaid alone? Curious because I’m not happy with my insurance and want to consider other options.
-
7 Replies
-
Great question Ryan. This is definitely an issue for many people with SMA.
I use Medicaid and BlueCross. Depending on the situation, one can be more helpful than the other. Medicaid covers my Spinraza treatments and the majority of my caregiving hours. However, getting my current wheelchair last year was a nightmare. My insurance denied me at least three times. Ultimately my neurologist had to help me build my case.
-
Yeah I have had similar experiences. Chair was denied repeatedly, Medicaid finally covered it.
-
It’s become pretty ridiculous, even for insurance companies.
What about everyone else? What do you all recommend?
-
-
-
For those of us with SMA, finding insurance can be a nightmare to say the least. When I went on full disability back in 2010, I automatically qualified for Medicare after being on disability for two years. This was a blessing because I was finding it very difficult to find insurance once I left ExxonMobil. I called certain insurance companies and told them that I wanted insurance and they were more than happy to help me. They would talk to me like I was their best friend, but when they asked me the medical questions and they found out that I was in a wheelchair and that I had SMA, the tone of their voice changed and most of them immediately told me that due to my medical condition, they would not be able to cover me. President Obama said that he was going to get the insurance companies to cover those of us with pre-existing conditions, but this never happened. When insurance companies hear the word SMA or they hear that we are confined to a wheelchair and we had a neuromuscular disease, they immediately disqualify those of us that are wanting insurance. I always said that french kissing and alligator would be easier than to try to find an insurance company that would be willing to accept us. It can be extremely frustrating at times, but I believe it will become easier in the coming future.
-
Dang man! I guess we all have similar experiences.
-
-
When I was on my dad’s insurance it sure seemed things went through a lot quicker. I’m now on Medicare and Medicaid as secondary. It has met my needs, however I know companies don’t always get reimbursed adequately. I’ve had to make compromises in medication and equipment because of what they don’t cover. It also seems to take increasingly longer to get things approved. Shockingly Spinraza is being approved for now. It still makes me nervous though.
-
Yeah for my last Spinraza dose, insurance waited until the last minute to approve it. Getting my current wheelchair though was more of a hassle.
-
Log in to reply.