Military family denied coverage for helmet to fix baby’s misshapen head
MARDELA SPRINGS, Md. – A local military family is in a race against time to get their daughter a medical device that could save her from a lifelong struggle.
That medical device is a cranial helmet, which is something that can help reshape an infant’s head. The problem is, the family’s military health insurance refuses to cover it.
When Addison Snider, a twin, was born, her mom Angel noticed that something wasn’t quite right.
Angel Snider said, “Her head seemed kind of elongated. We didn’t really notice anything of it because she had been stuck in the birth canal for a month. Her sister pushed her down, so we didn’t really notice anything, but around two weeks old, we started noticing that her head was flattening out.”
Addison’s condition only got progressively worse over time, leading to a diagnosis of torticollis.
Angel said, “In Addison’s case, the left side of her head is flattening in and the right side of her head is bulging out and that’s due to the constant pressure on the left side of her head since she continuously lays that way.”
The family tried at home treatment and months of physical therapy, but nothing worked. They turned to their military health care provider Tricare for help, but they didn’t get the answer they had hoped for.
Angel said, “So we got home and had a letter and Tricare has denied the helmet, they do not feel it is medically necessary, they believe it is cosmetic only.”
“If it isn’t treated it can and most times does lead to developmental delays, brain injuries, permanent deformation,” she added.
Angel says they told her they would only cover the $2,000 helmet if Addison got surgery first.
“They’re more willing to pay for invasive care than preventative care. In my opinion, these children, infants should not be put through a risky surgery when you can prevent future damage,” Angel said.
All of this has left the military family feeling frustrated.
Angel said, “My daughters hand over their father, I hand over my husband, my mother-in-law hands over her son, her oldest son, day in and day out for him to serve our country and we’re denied health care and denied things that our children need.”
All Angel wants is the best for her baby, so moving forward, she hopes Tricare will change it’s mind.
Angel said, “We’re just hoping that we can truly make a change with Tricare to help them understand our point and where we are coming from.”
Tricare says they only cover a cranial helmet if a baby is three to 18 months old or has undergone surgery but still has a misshaped skull.
The family has set up a Go Fund Me page to help them pay for a cranial helmet. You can find that page here.
They plan on using any extra money raised to launch a non-profit called Addie’s Aide to help other military families who are going through the same thing.
