As Alycia Steinberg of Towson, MD, tells us, when a child is seriously ill, a parent shouldn�t have to worry that an insurer would deny coverage due to the child�s pre-existing condition.
That is why she�s grateful that the Affordable Care Act protects her daughter Avey�s health insurance coverage because it bars insurance companies from denying coverage to children based on pre-existing conditions.� �To have a child with cancer, there is so much to worry about, but the Affordable Care Act means that I don�t have to worry that Avey will be denied treatment because of her pre-existing condition,� Alycia says.
At 2-years-old, Avey was diagnosed last year with leukemia, a terrible shock to her parents. Alycia says the prognosis is good and Avey is �doing amazingly well,� following intensive chemotherapy and some initial developmental setbacks due to the treatment. She now faces two years of maintenance chemo. Her treatment is very expensive.
�My first thought, as I was trying to process the fact that my two-year-old has cancer, [was] how am I going to take care of her?� What does this mean if we have our health benefits through my employer? Can I leave my job? Are we going to be able to maintain our coverage?� Alycia says.
The health care law is a �huge relief� for Alycia because insurers won�t be able to deny Avey coverage because of her pre-existing condition now or in the future when she�s an adult and looking for a job.
�As a mother of a child with cancer I have plenty to give me worry. One thing I don�t have to worry about now, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, is having Avey�s treatment denied,� she says. �The Affordable Care Act has given us tremendous peace of mind to know that Avey will be able to get the treatment that she needs. � It allows me to be a mom who can focus on taking care of my little girl with cancer.�
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