Re: FSA

[Guest guest]

Our out-of-pocket expense for our Starband was around $2500. We are still

appealing with UHC, but we went ahead and paid for it. They gave us the cash

discount (the orthotics place) so it was over $4000 normally to what they bill

UHC. I hope that helps a bit.

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> > > > Hi all. I've just joined and have learned so much from perusing this

group's postings. What a nice support group.

> > > > A quick recap of my son's plagio history: At 3 months we noticed a

flat spot developing. Mentioned it to the Dr., who said it would go away w/

tummy time and once he started rolling around. It didn't. Over the course of the

next 4 months, I also asked two different nurse practitioner and another doctor

in the office about the flattening. All said it was nothing to be worried about

and would probably correct itself in time, or " it would just be like that

forever. " I even asked about whether we needed a helmet (I was unfamiliar with

plagio, but knew of some babies who had worn helmets) and was told no. I started

to forget about his head shape. Fast forward to Thanksgiving, when our visit to

out of town relatives led my Sister-in-law (who works in the medical field) to

notice 's head shape and tell us we should get a second opinion, and

quickly. So this week I've poured over all the plagio info on the Internet, and

I feel certain that he has positional plagiocephaly, and likely at least a

moderate case of it. I am just sick about the fact that it's taken me so long to

do this research and angry that I listened to doctors who clearly didn't know

what they were talking about. How to deal with the guilt?

> > > > We have an appt. set up with a reputable pediatric neurologist here in

Sacramento next Friday. My main concern now is that this process will all move

too slowly and delay what is already a late start for banding. He turned 8

months old this week. Any tips on things I could do to speed up the process?

Should I call my insurance provider (United Healthcare) in advance of our Dr.'s

office to inquire about their coverage of cranial orthotics? Is there usually a

long wait at places that do fittings for Starbands (in our area) or DOCbands

(our nearest CranialTech is in Pasadena, 6 hours away--yikes.)? If so, perhaps I

should try to make an appt. now so that it will be already set up if/when the

neurologist sends us that direction. I just hate that we waited so long to take

action, and now fear that the laborious process of getting this all going will

cut into the months of prime effectiveness for banding.

> > > > Sorry for the long message. Any advice that anyone can give on

speeding up the process and/or dealing with UHC would be helpful and much

appreciated. I read UHC's medical policy about plagiocephaly online and it

states that " Cranial orthotic devices are cosmetic in infants with mild to

moderate plagiocephaly. There are no definitive data demonstrating that there

are adverse health effects associated with a mild to moderate degree of cranial

asymmetry, and, therefore, it is unclear whether treatment of these individuals

provides a future health benefit, or merely a cosmetic effect. " Doesn't sound

good for our chances of insurance paying.

> > > > Thanks for your help! I think this group is going to be a great help

to me as we navigate this road.

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