Dear Senator Reid:
As the mother of a cleft-affected daughter, I am inquiring regarding the status of the Treatment of Children's Deformities Act. I would also appreciate links to view the House and Senate versions of this legislation and any other information related to its progress.
My daughter was born in 1987 with bilateral cleft lip and palate. She was recently denied coverage for LaForte surgery w/surgical splint on the basis that the procedure is dental in nature...which it obviously is not.
We are rigorously fighting the decision. Since the original denial, we are faced with two additional rejections on appeals. We will attend a grievance hearing this evening to re-iterate our case. If we don't enjoy a victory through these proceedings, we will be pursuing the matter further.
Please advise as to the status of the bill, the reference number, and additional members of Congress I might contact to further this cause.
If you are aware of any pending Nevada state legislation, I would also appreciate having that information.
Respectfully,
Deborah Oliver
(on behalf of my daughter, Erin Scott)
(702) 228-8662
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cc: Senator John Ensign
Senator John McCainRep. Shelley BerkleyA Reply...
January 22, 2002
Mrs. Deborah Oliver
XXXX XXXXXX XXXXX
XXX XXXXX, NV XXXXX
Dear Mrs. Oliver:
Thank you for contacting me to inquire about the status of H.R.792, the Treatment of Children's Deformities Act of 2001. I appreciate hearing from you and I apologize for the delay in my response.
Today, approximately seven percent of American children are born with pediatric deformities and congenital defects such as cleft lip, cleft palate, missing limbs, and facial deformities. Unfortunately, it has become commonplace for insurance companies to label reconstructive procedures to correct these deformities as cosmetic surgery and deny coverage to help these children.
It is disgraceful that many insurance companies claim that medical services to restore to a child a normal appearance are superfluous and merely for vanity and cosmetic purposes. The medical and developmental complications that arise from these conditions can be tremendous.
The Treatment of Children's Deformities Act of 2001 would set standards that require group and individual health insurance plans to provide coverage for treatment of a minor child's congenital or developmental deformity or disorder due to trauma, infection, tumor, or disease. You may be pleased to learn that I was a cosponsor of the Senate version of this legislation during the 106th Congress, but unfortunately work on the bill was not completed before the end of the session. The bill can be viewed at the following link: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query.....
H.R.792 was referred to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, where it is pending further action. Should I have the opportunity to consider this bill in the Senate, I will be mindful of your support.
Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. For more information about my work for Nevada, my role in the United States Senate Leadership, or to subscribe to regular e-mail updates on the issues that interest you, please visit my Web site at http://reid.senate.gov. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.
My best wishes to you.
Sincerely,
HARRY REID
United States Senator
HR:trk
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This cleftAdvocate page was last updated March 25, 2014
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