Having medical food coverage would expand our daughter’s ability to try new and different foods. Medical foods such as rice, pasta, and cereal, which are staples in anyone’s diet- are 3-4 times more expensive than non medical foods. Her diet is supervised by a metabolic team of healthcare professionals at a specialized genetics/metabolism clinic in our state. This is not just for fun or because she wants to eat a certain way, This is to help her grow and develop properly. We are thankful we live in a state that covers the cost of her daily required metabolic formula which she absolutely must drink every day. Having coverage for the expensive medical foods would allow her the option to try these foods without us worrying about the cost. Right now we limit what we buy because rice is about $5/box, cereal $9-10 and pasta somewhere between $5-9. As she grows and eats more, this will require more frequent orders which right now, would be financially difficult.
We have a good United Healthcare plan from my husband’s employer. They do not make it easy for medical nutrition coverage however. We once went through the process and it only approved from 1 company, for a 90 day period and after we met a deductible which we had not met, so it was of no help to us.