As a nutrition expert, it should be up to me, the family and the healthcare team to decide on how best to treat these children and if nutrition is the ideal treatment, then it should be included as part of the child's covered treatments. It is frustrating to have to delay or change care if nutrition therapy is not covered. This can worsen illness and also cause undue stress and harm to the child and their family.
I am a pediatric gastroenterologist and treat children with a variety of digestive conditions that require medical nutrition. I often see patients whose digestive conditions mandate that they be on special diets or supplements and yet these diets cannot be afforded. A.B. is a 9-year-old boy who was born with a condition called ‘jejunal atresia.’ […]
As a provider, I know what is best for these patients and when covered, the results (i.e. improved absorption, reduced eosinophils, improved growth and weight gain) are nothing short of incredible.
Coverage for medical foods would mean everything.
Noah, Age 6
New York · SBS
Annual cost: $12000
Coverage for medical foods would mean everything. We could pay our bills and not live paycheck to paycheck. Blended food is not ...
Colton, Age 6
Ohio · SBS
Annual cost: $16800
Colton is almost 7 years old. He was born at 30 weeks and lost 2/3 of his small bowel due to a mid-gut volvulus. He has been on an ...
At 1.5 years old she weighed 14 pounds and had g-tube surgery. She's 3 now and has never eaten food.
Danielle, Age 3
Florida · SBS
Annual cost: $12000
Our beautiful happy and energetic three year old daughter Danielle was born at 35 weeks New Year’s Day 2016. She was diagnosed at ...
Landyn, Age 8
Idaho · Medical or Surgical Condition of Malabsorption
Annual cost: $7200
Landyn has been blessed to have Medicaid as his medical costs over they years would have been impossible for our family to pay. When ...
Diego, Age 9
Illinois · Medical or Surgical Condition of Malabsorption · SBS
Annual cost: $12000
Diego is a happy and thriving 9-year-old boy from Chicago, IL with a history of intestinal atresia. This means that part of his ...
Josiah
Malabsorption due to liver or pancreatic disease · New York
Annual cost: $5400
Josiah is an adorable baby boy who lives with his parents and older sister Middletown, New York.
His story starts like that of most ...