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Friday, May 06, 2011

In Regards to a boy who died suddenly at a track practice in Brillion

You hear of Sooooo many young kids dieing at track practices, football, etc - and it's later determined they had a heart condition. One otherwise not detected during routine physical exams for sports. So, if that's the case what's it going to take for medical doctors and insurance companies to start allowing for and pushing for more thorough diagnostic tests to make absolutely sure kids are healthy? You know, at a certain age colonoscopies or other exams become recommended every ?how many years and covered by insurance - to maintain an individuals health, to look for signs of disease and curb it before it can progress to a life-threatening illness. So, why not allow whatever 'deep' screening is necessary for - all boys and girls upon entering 6th grade, and say - 10th grade, and possibly college IF they might be participating in any kind of rigorous sport, for example? I have a kid who's signed up for track next year in 6th gade. Currently, he's in running club gearing up for the Cellcom. I'm scared that he might have an unknown heart condition. This could be my kid - this could be me. It frightens me and I hope this family knows that they have my condolences and empathy - so much as I can only IMAGINE their heartbreak. It's sad and devastating and my thoughts go out to them and to the lives of every one that boy touched.

2 comments:

Mom said...

I understand how you feel, but I believe parents should be the ones to get the screening done on their own insurance. There is enough pressure on the insurance companies and the people of this country (seeing we are having to deal with ObamaCare)we need no more expenses. This is something that needs to be left up to the parent.

Stacieleigh1027 said...

Well, of course parents should get the screening done on their own insurance. But, what I'm saying is - that is something insurance won't cover. Unless you meant parents should pay for it out of pocket. If that's the case then I think we should also have to pay for other preventative diagnostics out of pocket - such as colonoscopies every 5 years for men over a certain age, mamograms and paps every 2 years for women of a certain age, birth control, preventative dental work such as yearly cleanings, etc. All this stuff is 'preventative.' An MRI for physical activity should be 'preventative,' too. Insurance companies offer preventative check-ups, etc so that they don't have to pay the higher costs of fighting a disease once it's progressed to needing advanced treatment. But, I guess they don't consider death a monetary expense they have to cover so I see how they'd dispute MRI's for physical activity in young adults. Tsk, tsk.