Client Stories

Kathy’s Story

ABC removes the financial and emotional burden associated with health care services so families can focus on the medical needs of their loved ones. When ABC met "Kathy," her husband had just died unexpectedly and she had recently received a diagnosis of advanced-stage cancer. With the loss of her husband came loss of income and health insurance. ABC assumed the bureaucratic burden associated with applying for and securing disability insurance to cover Kathy’s advancing medical condition. ABC also took time to obtain coverage for her young son. ABC’s direct legal services were efficient and effective in meeting the extraordinary needs of this family.

A Guardian Angel

The parents of a young son contacted ABC after they both lost their jobs and found themselves without income or health insurance. Even with the federal COBRA subsidy, the family could not afford insurance premiums. Their son, who struggled with mental health problems, was starting to decline rapidly. ABC determined the appropriate health coverage for each family member and then successfully challenged a denial from the Wisconsin Katie Beckett Medicaid Program for their son. In a letter to ABC, the family thanked ABC’ s attorney for "being our guardian angel when we needed one most."

Kristy’s Story

ABC met "Kristy" and her husband at St. Mary’s Hospital shortly after the young couple found out they were expecting their first baby. Kristy had comprehensive health insurance through her mother’s employer. When she was close to her due date, however, her mother changed jobs and with it, her family’s health insurance. ABC helped resolve Kristy’s health care coverage situation and ensured she could receive good prenatal care. A routine ultrasound revealed their baby would have special health care needs. ABC immediately took steps to identify health care coverage options for the baby to pre-empt any medical bills. Within 48 hours of being born, the baby was admitted to all three hospitals in Madison due to the serious nature of his condition. ABC’s staff attorney successfully challenged the multiple insurance denials that came shortly thereafter. The baby’s father thanked ABC’s staff attorney, stating "she was like an angel sent for us. She made it so we could worry about our son and not a hundred questions from the billing departments." The baby, now 7 months old, is recovering quickly and doing very well. ABC’s interventions saved the family a total of $480,000.

Early Delivery

ABC met with a family in the neo-natal intensive care unit shortly after the birth of their son. At 1134 grams (2.5 lbs), the baby would need to remain in the hospital for an extensive, expensive stay. ABC helped enroll the baby in the private insurance coverage the mother had through her employer and, because of the baby’s low birth weight, in Medicaid benefits for supplemental coverage. When the healthy baby left the hospital 49 days later, the family left debt-free.

No More Waiting Lists

ABC was contacted by a couple who had hit tough times. The husband was hurt and couldn’t work, and the wife had recently lost the job she had held for over 25 years. Both were experiencing significant health problems. It had been years since either had health insurance. ABC met with the couple, assessed disability and medical needs, and assisted the couple in navigating the new BadgerCare Plus Core Plan application process. Lengthy delays and inappropriate denials would have caused this couple to give up on the process, but ABC took that burden from the family and cut through the legal red tape. In the end, the couple received the benefits and care they were due, received appropriate reimbursements for their medical expenses, regulated their daily medications, and got back on their feet. ABC helped the husband get into a workforce training program and the wife now has a job with insurance. Due to such a positive turn of events, she was able to relinquish her Core Plan, giving a spot to one of the 30,000 individuals then on the program’s waiting list.

A Healthy Start

A new father contacted ABC after his wife gave birth to a new baby. The father was a Spanish-speaker whose job as an auto-mechanic did not offer health insurance benefits. The family was struggling to make ends meet. ABC’s bilingual health benefits counselor helped the family apply for the Healthy Start Medicaid program and followed up to ensure the family had sufficient coverage. Healthy Start covered the mother’s medical care and the cost of the birth and will extend to cover care for the baby.