Family Fights Medicaid To Cover Surgery For 4-Month-Old
Andrea Lucia
CBS DFW (con't)
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DALLAS (CBS 11 NEWS) – Chasity McVay tries to document the littlest details of her daughter’s life. She said, “I try to document funny little things, so I don’t forget.”
McVay isn’t sure how much time her child has left.
It took a bit of miracle to bring her children into the world. “We prayed for five years for a kid,” said McVay.”We had two miscarriages to begin with.”
McVay finally gave birth to a boy. Sophia arrived the following year. “And we were like, our family is complete,” the mother said proudly.
Now McVay says she’s praying for another miracle to keep her daughter alive.
(credit: CBSDFW.COM)
A fever sent Sophia to the hospital when she was six days old. Doctors discovered a virus had damaged her liver. They also diagnosed the baby with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare condition causing her immune system to turn on her.
“We’re to the point where they’re saying she needs a liver transplant or she’ll die,” said McVay.
The family turned to hospitals across the country. Only one, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington D.C. agreed to do the operation, despite the rare condition continuing to affect her immune system.
The hospital sent the following statement -
“The MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute agreed with the medical team in Texas that Sophia McVay is in need of a liver transplant. After reviewing her records we asserted that a liver transplant is a reasonable option for her and said we would be willing to evaluate her for a transplant. So far, coverage for an evaluation has been denied on the basis that she has already been turned down by another program.”
The news from Georgetown offered a spark of hope, but was quickly extinguished when Medicaid in Texas refused to cover the procedure.
“It was heartbreaking when they told us after two weeks of waiting and calling and waiting that they said they denied it because it’s experimental. There wasn’t I guess enough evidence that this would be successful for her,” said McVay.
The McKay family says, money is now the only thing standing between her daughter and a chance at life.
The kidney transplant alone would cost an estimated $200,000. The transport and extended care of her daughter could cost even more.
(credit: CBSDFW.COM)
Describing Sophia McVay said, “She’s a person. She has an attitude and a personality. She smiles when mom comes in. She loves when dad sings to her. You’re denying another human being life. Why? Why would you do that?”
McVay still envisions one day showing Sophia a scrapbook filled with mementos from her first few months. It’s a dream she’s not giving up on. “I have to fight for my daughter. I have to fight because she doesn’t have a chance if I don’t.”
Texas Health and Human Services, which oversees the state’s Medicaid program declined to respond, saying it could not discuss patient information.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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