Insurance Runs Out For 12-Year-Old Boy Without Arm [1]
By Danielle Ivory | Huffington Post Investigative Fund [1]
Benjamin French was born with his right arm missing below the elbow. In his 12 years, he has been fitted with seven prostheses. His most recent replacement will cost nearly $30,000 and his doctor says he will soon grow out of it.
But, according to his insurance company, the boy is ineligible for further coverage of prosthetic devices because he has already spent his lifetime maximum benefit.
Benjamin's family happens to live in Michigan, one of 33 states where insurance companies are allowed to set annual and lifetime caps on prosthetic coverage. The family's policy with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan covers a maximum of $30,000 per lifetime for prosthetics, plus $1,000 per year for repairs. In states such as Colorado and Maryland, the law says there can be no such cap on prosthetics.
"It seems really unfair," said Benjamin's mother, Kristen French. "The insurance company can do this in one state, but not in another? It's ridiculous." Read more [1].