Families shouldn't have to 'beg, borrow and steal' to buy medical aids, says mother
Mother of twin daughters with specialized needs puzzled by 'inconsistencies' in system
The mother of twin teenage daughters with specialized medical needs says it's perplexing that the health system pays for the medical aids for one, but not the other.
"We have a hole in our health care system and it needs to be fixed," Glenda Power said during an interview with the St. John's Morning Show on Monday.
Power responded to a call for listeners to share their views on what issues should receive attention during the ongoing provincial election campaign.
The Twitter conversation is dubbed #FixItNL.
Power's daughters, Olivia and Ariana, were born at just 27 weeks, weighing less than two pounds each.
Olivia has cerebral palsy, while Ariana has a hearing impairment.
"In the first year of their lives they fought life-and-death battles nearly every day," Glenda said.
Both girls doing well
Olivia uses a wheelchair most of the time, and sometimes a walker. There are also times when she requires specialized braces.
It's not a matter of can we afford it. It's we can't afford not to.- Glenda Power
Ariana has moderate to severe hearing loss, and must wear a hearing aid.
Power said they are both doing well, but there's one glaring difference in the way the health care system responds to their needs.
She said Ariana's hearing aids, at a cost of several thousand dollars, are paid for by the provincial Medical Care Plan (MCP).
It's a different story for Olivia.
The first time she was fitted for braces at two years old, Power didn't even bother to ask if there was a charge. She assumed MCP would pay.
A few weeks later, she received a bill for $1,000. Her last wheelchair came with a price tag of $10,000.
The family's insurance paid the cost, but they soon received a letter from their provider saying they had reached the lifetime maximum coverage for wheelchairs.
"This really boggles my mind considering that Olivia is still a child and is still growing," Power added.
'That's not universal'
Power said the "inconsistencies" are frustrating, and she questions the true universality of the health care system.
"How can we say that we have a universal health care system when a child with cerebral palsy who needs a wheelchair, or a walker or braces or other equipment, cannot get coverage for that?" she said.
"Their families have to scramble, beg, borrow and steal to find money to get that. That's not fair. That's not universal."
Power said the government — "as it should" — assists families who receive income support with the purchase of medical aids.
She said families with ample insurance coverage also receive assistance.
However, she said working families with no insurance coverage are often hit hardest.
"I don't know what they do. That's a huge gap," Power said.
She said families endure great stress and fear when a child struggles with health challenges, and she believes it's not right that the cost of medical aids only add to the struggle.
"It's not a matter of can we afford it. It's we can't afford not to," she said.
With files from Anthony Germain