My name is Mark. I am 47 and I have had AT for 32 years and have been wearing wigs all along but have rarely had health insurance to cover them. Last November my insurance at my new job kicked in (I have Aetna) and I was surprised to see that they had the 3 types of alopecia listed under the medical coverage. The problem is that they pay only a small portion of the cost towards the price. They cover only the direct “cost” of the wig to the merchant, of which I have to pay a deductible towards that) and none of the salon/merchants “markup.” If I buy a wig from someone on their medical provider list, which is listed under durable medical equipment the deductible is 250.00. If I go with the same salon owner that I have comfortable with and have been going to for 25 years, it is 500.00. And the most I have ever spent on a wig in the first place is about 450.00. So if my dealers total price is 500.00 and his mark up is 100.00, that leaves 400.00, of which I have to pay a deductible of 500.00. So in this case it would not even be covered. As I said, I am 47. and I am not even sure if I am going to buy another wig again. If I do, it will be the last one. But when I expressed my dismay to the insurance lady on the phone about the menial coverage, she said “well it is really not something you need, which is why we don’t cover much of it.” She is of course right. But let her tell that to the other 1-2 million sufferers of this condition, and see what they say.
Mark’s Story
My name is Mark. I am 47 and I have had AT for 32 years and have been wearing wigs all along but have rarely had health insurance to cover them. Last November my insurance at my new job kicked in (I have Aetna) and I was surprised to see that they had the 3 types of alopecia listed under the medical coverage. The problem is that they pay only a small portion of the cost towards the price. They cover only the direct “cost” of the wig to the merchant, of which I have to pay a deductible towards that) and none of the salon/merchants “markup.” If I buy a wig from someone on their medical provider list, which is listed under durable medical equipment the deductible is 250.00. If I go with the same salon owner that I have comfortable with and have been going to for 25 years, it is 500.00. And the most I have ever spent on a wig in the first place is about 450.00. So if my dealers total price is 500.00 and his mark up is 100.00, that leaves 400.00, of which I have to pay a deductible of 500.00. So in this case it would not even be covered. As I said, I am 47. and I am not even sure if I am going to buy another wig again. If I do, it will be the last one. But when I expressed my dismay to the insurance lady on the phone about the menial coverage, she said “well it is really not something you need, which is why we don’t cover much of it.” She is of course right. But let her tell that to the other 1-2 million sufferers of this condition, and see what they say.