If your child is suffering from a cleft palate or lip the stress involved can seem, at times, overwhelming. Dealing with your insurance carrier to get the necessary care should not, but often does, add to the stressful burden. In many instances, insurance companies will deny the claim outright initially. This can be frustrating, especially when the person making the initial denial does not have a medical background, and therefore is not intimately familiar with the issues associated with a cleft lip/palate. The attorneys at the Mininno Law Office have some practical advice to help cope with this problem.
It is important to prepare yourself for the possibility of spending considerable amounts of time on the phone speaking with various representatives from the insurance company. It is important to document every phone call, with the date, time, name of who you spoke with, and the content of the call. This serves to protect you. Essentially, you are looking for that one sympathetic person at the company that will make your life easier and help get your child the treatment that he/she deserves. In the case that your claim is denied, as a paying customer, you should consider the appeals process to have the claim looked at again.
Birth Defects Attorneys In New Jersey and Philadelphia
Many times people who have a child with a cleft palate/lip birth defect ask if they need to contact birth defects attorneys. The answer is complicated. In many instances, the birth defect was caused by natural forces and there is no one to blame. In these instances you may find yourself fighting the insurance battle described above. However, in other cases, external forces may have been in play, like Topamax (Topiramate), a drug that the FDA has recently announced increases the likelihood of cleft palate/lip by 21 times.
If you believe Topamax may have been a factor in your child’s birth defect, the birth defects attorneys at the Mininno Law Office can provide financial remedies that will alleviate the stresses associated with your child’s birth defect. Contact the Mininno Law Office in New Jersey at (856) 833-0600 and in Philadelphia at (215) 567-2380 for a FREE case evaluation and consultation.