Taylor turned 18 months last Friday. It has been 6 months this week since we found out that Taylor is deaf.
At her therapy session last Friday, Taylor was tested to see how well she is progressing. It had been 12 weeks since her activation. In terms of word recognition and cognition, Taylor now has the word recognition of ....... (drumroll, please............) an average 18-month old!!!!! She has in 12 weeks caught up to that of an average child her age. WE ARE THRILLED!
This isn't the case for her verbal skills -- she is babbling more like a baby, maybe 10-12 months. She says Mmmm, Mama, Hi, and other than that, she makes sounds like wa wa, Oh, etc. Still no consistent dada or baba. She really likes music and is a great little dancer as she hums along with the music.
Yesterday, we received a couple of very interesting items in the mail.
Nucleus 5 Processors!! Amazingly small, with a great iPod-like remote to control volumes and programming, love it. It supposedly came with Taylor's maps on it, but she didn't like them and kept taking them off. Next Thursday, we have a mapping appointment, so I will let the audiologist get them mapped and wait until then for Taylor to wear them.
Copies of Letters between our insurance and Blue Cross/Blue Shield in which BC/BS is denying payment of her surgery because it "wasn't deemed medically necessary." This is ludicrous considering that they approved the bilateral CI surgery back in July. Any advice???
At the end of the day, when I look back at the past 6 months, I am so happy and thankful that Taylor is doing so well. If I have to pay $100k for her to have unlimited opportunity, then I guess I will, but not without one heck of a fight with BC/BS.
oh no, these insurance companies are a pain! no, you have to fight it and I am sure you will win, it is not medically necessary??? she is deaf! It's not like a choice plastic surgery!! I am sure tehre are ways to get it. Maybe you should contact hands and voices to see if they can help you. How come did you get the new processors? Did you upgrade them? Congratulations on her progress, it is truly amazing, I am still waiting for that day when Luca is caught up...
ReplyDeleteMelinda,
ReplyDeleteContact the Insurance Commission in Kansas. Kansas is one state that has a very strong Insurance Commissioners office. You definitely want to let BC/BS know you will. Insurance companies in Kansas do not like to be brought up to that office. I know. Besides working for BC/BS some in Topeka, I also worked for a life insurance company there.
You know you can always call me and I have some contacts.
Everything else is WONDERFUL! See you in a couple of weeks. Shelly has tonsillectomy December 23.
We were able to get the new processors because our therapy center was a clinical trial participant for Cochlear. She got the surgery the week that they gained FDA approval of the Nucleus 5, so our timing was just right and we got them for no additional charge.
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