This week, I'm continuing with the theme of cool stuff the CF Foundation does in addition to research, in the hopes that it will inspire you to head on over to our Great Strides fundraising page (right here!) and make a donation. Thanks so much to those of you who have already done so--I hope you're enjoying learning about all the worthy causes your dollars are supporting.
A big challenges all families with CF face is dealing with accessing care through their health insurance or other programs. CF care is complicated and expensive. All CF families spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about their insurance, trying to figure out what is covered and what is not, or trying to decipher the cryptic bills or statements of services rendered that we get constantly from all the different care providers. Then there's the prescription drug coverage, the pharmacy, the copay cards, the home health pharmacy, the requirements for different federal or state assistance programs, and on and on.
To help CF patients and their families deal with all these issues, the CF Foundation offers a service called Compass that includes free, confidential assistance from a case worker specialized in the issues CF families face. Compass provides assistance with legal, financial, and insurance issues, among others. For example, Compass can help families appeal denied insurance claims, or obtain prior authorization for a specific procedure or medication. Compass can also help families navigate financial resources that can lower the cost of medications, and provide support for applying for programs such as Social Security and disability benefits. They also offer services to support any major life transition you can think of, since every one of these transitions can be impacted by CF--going away to college, getting married, having children, the logistics of a lung transplant, and on and on.
The CF Foundation offers these services because CF families know that handling the day-to-day medical needs of someone with CF is just one part of managing life with CF. A disease like CF affects almost every aspect of daily living in some way, and help managing the logistics can alleviate stress and worry, and can free up time for other things. Like living.
So, please consider heading over to our fundraising page (still right here!) and chipping in to help support this program and all the other amazing things the CF Foundation is doing. Thank you as always for your support!
