Dear Mr. Collins:
Good afternoon!
My name is Debbie Oliver, and I am a resident of Las Vegas. I am the mother of six great kids. My 14-year-old daughter was born with complete bilateral cleft lip and palate.
I am writing concerning a very serious problem that I am sure can be remedied with the right legislation. The problem is far-reaching and I know you'll agree that something has to be done on behalf of the children of Nevada.
In lieu of re-writing the entire facts of the matter here, I would like to direct your attention to my Open Letter to the President. After a months-long battle with a local group health organization to get approval for a medically-necessary operation for my daughter, I decided to publish the cleftAdvocate website. My goal is to educate parents and prompt involvement in writing our state and federal representatives, urging them to push for this long-awaited legislation.
With the House and Senate deeply involved in issues relating to the economy and September 11, I feel it is necessary to call upon our State of Nevada legislators for prompt and decisive action.
Please refer to the federally-introduced legislation:
Sponsor: Rep. Sue W. Kelly of New York (introduced 2/28/2001)
Sponsor: Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California (introduced 3/20/2001)
These bills are currently stalled in committee. Similar legislation previously introduced in the 106th Congress fell by the wayside, as well.
The verbiage is simple and straight-forward.
Mr. Collins, I urge you to work toward introducing similar legislation in the State of Nevada with the next legislative session, slated to begin early next year.
It is high-time that children with congenital deformities are protected under the law. Several states already mandate coverage for children affected with cleft lip and/or palate, and other facial anomalies. I believe that Nevada needs to address this issue now, considering the massive growth and population explosion, especially here in the Las Vegas Valley. According to the March of Dimes, one in every 700 births is a cleft-affected baby. These are staggering odds. It may make you realize that cleft lip and/or palate can happen to anyone, in any family, without warning. It could even happen to someone in your family...
It was disheartening to find myself fighting the insurance company and at the same time see an article hit the Review-Journal stating they had just posted earnings beating their fourth quarter forecasts.
Where do these kids with birth defects fit into their business plan?
Thank you for your time. I look forward to your reply and to seeing your name as the author and/or supporter of this much-needed Nevada legislation.
Regards,
Debbie Oliver
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This cleftAdvocate page was last updated March 25, 2014
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