By Danielle Smith, Keystone State News Service
Photo courtesy of Lena May/Adobe Stock
Pennsylvania families with children who have special medical needs or disabilities and face high medical bills may find relief through a charitable grant program.
With nearly 22% of Pennsylvania children living with special health care needs, advocates say many families don’t realize help is available.
Scott Otto, assistant executive director of the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation, said the program provides grants to cover unexpected out-of-pocket costs to help families pay for therapies, prescriptions, and medical devices not covered by a commercial health insurance plan.
“Grants can be awarded up to $5,000 per child per year,” he said. “Each family may have two, three, or more kids, so each of those children are independently eligible to apply up to that $5,000 amount and up to a $10,000 lifetime cap.”
Otto said the foundation has awarded 40,000 grants totaling more than $80 million, helping families cover medical costs not paid by insurance. Eligible children must have commercial health coverage, but it doesn’t have to be from UnitedHealthcare. Even children on Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program can apply before their 17th birthday.
Juanita Panlener, national resource center manager for the Spina Bifida Association, said parents frequently reach out with concerns about insurance coverage for essential items that their children rely on daily. Spina bifida affects roughly one in 1,000 babies in the United States.
“Sometimes, families with children with spina bifida will struggle to pay for catheters or orthotics,” she said, “so items like braces or sometimes even wheelchairs.”
Panlener noted that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proposed a new rule that would introduce competitive bidding for urological supplies, including catheters. Under this rule, access to these items could be influenced more by cost than by the recommendations of the patient’s health care providers.
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Source: bctv