The Minneapolis Star Tribune printed an article on Tuesday, August 13, 2013 titled “Brain injury patient Ellie Cizek fights for time and money”. This article, written by Jeremy Olson of the Star Tribune, tells the story of how Ellie Cizek’s therapy was cut off right in the middle of her crucial recovery period.
According to the article, each year there are 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries. 90,000 of those are severe enough to cause long term disability. Reports from the U.S. Institute of Medicine in 2011 show treatments for traumatic brain injuries are often incomplete because of insurance plan policies. One issue with insurance coverage occurs when cognitive rehabilitation is prescribed. Cognitive rehabilitation has been found to be very effective for traumatic brain injury patients, but research is limited on how effective it is and how many sessions are needed to be effective; possibly because treatment for traumatic brain injuries is so specific to each patient. Therefore, insurers may be unwilling to cover treatment. Some people are faced with plans with lifetime limits, which may be exhausted from treatment for severe injuries.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, have a lawyer evaluate your injury/disease to see if there is insurance coverage from any other source.Contact Milavetz, Gallop & Milavetz for a free consultation at 763-560-0000.
Source: Olson, Jeremy. “Brain injury patient Ellie Cizek fights for time and money.” Star Tribune 13 August 2013 Published: A1, A7. Brain injury patient Ellie Cizek fights for time and money.Web.22 August 2013.
