December 9, 2006
Insurance/Costs
Question from South Hadley, Massachusetts, USA:
My 13 year old grandson was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of three. He is currently covered by his father’s health insurance policy, but that could end very soon. My daughter is divorced with two children. Her income is such that she was able to be on MassHealth for a period of time, even with the other insurance in place, which then covered the deductibles for all of his medication needs (insulin, etc.) She has currently been determined to be ineligible for MassHealth and is in appeal on that decision. She is right on the line of eligibility. If she were turned down, she would be unable to pay for the $236/month deductibles for his medical care and medications. Is there any monetary help for kids who are under the age of 18 who have diabetes to assist with this vital need? The $236/month would mean that she would not be able to pay her mortgage. The bank is currently threatening foreclosure due to her always being over a month behind.
Answer:
I regret that I am not aware of any program that provides cash assistance for costs associated with the treatment of diabetes. If the medical insurance coverage through the father terminates, your daughter should review any court ordered child support agreement to determine if the other parent remains responsible for providing health insurance coverage. Also, the loss of the private health insurance coverage might have a bearing on the continuation of MassHealth; it is a question to which I do not have the answer. If there were a complete loss of health coverage, your daughter should explore if the family were eligible to participate in the Partnership for Prescription Assistance; a program sponsored by the big pharmaceutical companies to provide free prescription drugs to those in need.
DSH
