When a baby is required to wear a cranial remolding helmet to treat their plagiocephaly (or baby flat head syndrome) parents are often met with sticker shock over the price of the helmet. While some insurance companies will cover the cost of the helmet, many do not. To help parents figure out how to pay for their baby's helmet we created this guide with 5 tips to paying for your baby’s plagiocephaly helmet.
Here are our 5 important tips to paying for your baby’s plagiocephaly helmet:
Tip 1: Understand Your Insurance Plan and Coverage
Understanding your insurance can be harder than first glance. There are a lot of ins and outs when trying to understand what is covered and what isn’t. Once you know that your baby will require helmet treatment, spend some time looking through your insurance coverage to get a sense of what is covered and what isn’t. Even when looking through your insurance it may not be clear whether the helmet is covered or not. If this is the case, contact your insurance company to get the specifics on coverage.
Tip 2: If Denied, Try Appealing
If your initial claim is denied by your insurance company, don’t stop there. In many cases an appeal, along with a note of medical necessity from your doctor might be enough to get coverage. Look into the appeals process for your insurance and follow the steps necessary. When it comes to coverage, don’t stop at the first denial.
Tip 3: Consider Financing Options
Another consideration is to look into what financing options are available. Whether directly from your helmet provider or another type of financing option, there are financing options available for families. A few well known financial options include:
Care Credit helps families pay for their medical expenses not covered by insurance with the CareCredit credit card.
CAPPS Kids can help you connect with the best providers for your families needs.
Share a Smile helps meet the needs of ordinary citizens struggling with financial crisis, due to unemployment, health crisis, or natural disaster.
Tip 4: Apply for a Grant or Scholarship
Another option to pay for your baby’s plagiocephaly helmet is to apply for a grant or scholarship. Foundations like the United Health Children’s Foundation or The National Association for Plagiocephaly's HALO Project provide scholarships and grants to those with difficulty affording their baby’s helmet. While applying for these is not a guarantee of coverage, they can be a great option if you are struggling to pay for your baby’s helmet.
Tip 5: Work with Your Provider
It is important that you choose a provider who will be open about the costs of helmet therapy and work with you. Most companies are well versed in how to help families ensure that they can afford their baby’s helmet. Talk to your provider at the onset of treatment about any concerns you have.
These are just a few recommendations on how to pay for your baby’s plagiocephaly helmet. Finding out that your baby will have to wear a cranial remolding helmet for 23 hours a day can be hard on parents. Worrying about how to pay for the helmet shouldn’t be.
For more on the treatment of plagiocephaly, visit us at www.ppodkids.com.
Disclaimer: Note that every insurance carrier is different and coverage varies depending upon your carrier, region and plan. These tips are recommendations but are not intended to guarantee coverage.