Woman tells of how insurer balked at coverage of ultrasounds for Zika-imperiled pregnancy
Debra Gittler, the first Chicago-based high-risk pregnancy for exposure to the Zika virus, wrote about her experience in an editorial for the Chicago Tribune.
Gittler is the founder and executive director of ConTextos, an educational company that works for improved education for children in El Salvador. She was exposed to the virus while working abroad and moved full-time to Chicago when possible connections between Zika and fetal brain deformation were announced to the public.
In her editorial, Gittler wrote that her pregnancy should be “a happy time, filled with excitement and wonder,” but it has been instead been filled with “dread, fear and lots of visits with doctors.”
One of Gittler’s biggest obstacles has been her insurance company, which refuses to cover services her doctors say are vital. She was told she needs ultrasounds every two weeks, for instance, but the insurance company is saying it will not cover such services.
“I'm relieved to be back home in Chicago,” Gittler wrote. “And grateful for world-class doctors at world-class facilities. But my health insurance in America is just as Third World as the country where I was exposed to Zika in the first place.”
To read Gittler’s full story, click below:
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.