As a result of being denied insurance coverage, a six-year-old child in Missouri may never be able to hear again.
Fox2Now in Saint Louis has word of the sad story of Madison Leuchtmann. Madison's family, who live in Lincoln County, Missouri, faces a grim choice: pay a $20,000 medical bill that's not covered by their insurance company or let their daughter lose her hearing.
Madison was born with a rare condition called bilateral artesia, which essentially means she was born without ear canals. The condition occurs in about one in 20,000 births.
The malady, however, can be remedied with the use of a hearing device That device, according to a written statement provided to Fox2Now, was not deemed "medically necessary."
Madison's denial of coverage is just one of a string of similar cases that have garnered national attention in the past few months. Earlier this summer, Alex Lange, an otherwise healthy Colorado baby, was initially denied coverage by because, at just four months old, he was deemed "too fat." And two-year-old Aislin Bates, also from Colorado, was actually denied coverage because she was too light.
As for Madison, her mother pointed out to Fox2Now that "she was born with a congenital defect. Now we just need to correct it."
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