Frustrating Wait For Health Care
And when the
But the Koprowskis had no idea getting their adopted children the health care they need would be so difficult. Despite having insurance, the Koprowskis can't find a pediatric office that will see their children.
"After all these kids have been through, that they would run into trouble like this after they made it home is infuriating," Jake said.
While Jake and Natalie have a commercial insurance plan, their children are insured through the state
But when they tried to schedule medical appointments for Lucie and Myradie at
So while Lucie and Myradie are siblings of established patients, they don't qualify to be patients at the clinic.
"If I was pregnant, we would be fine," Natalie said.
"It seems really targeted at adopted kids," Jake added.
But the access issue doesn't end there. In the last three weeks, the Koprowskis said, they have been turned away from more than a dozen local medical offices that aren't accepting new
"The problem is, there's no doctors," Jake said. "Insurance is nice, but we really want the doctors."
"Patient access to providers is something CUP takes very seriously," said DJ Wilson, spokesman for
Rule change
The Koprowskis adopted their two oldest children -- Chloe and Taylor, both 8 -- from
The Koprowskis assumed things would be just as smooth this time around. Instead, Natalie said, they're trying to help sick children adjust to a new environment while also dealing with the health care system.
Lucie nearly died from malnutrition a year ago. Natalie flew to the
Lucie's belly is still distended from malnutrition, and she's had diarrhea for several months. Desperate for help, Natalie took Lucie to a hospital emergency department when the toddler became lethargic. Without a primary care physician, the hospital was reluctant to run blood and stool tests.
But a sympathetic physician did run blood tests and diagnosed Lucie with giardia, an intestinal infection caused by a parasite. She was prescribed medication, but the
At a standstill
Myradie's physical health appears to be better than Lucie's, but she needs a routine checkup and immunizations. The Koprowskis were able to get Myradie in to see a dentist for the first time. The dentist wants to put Myradie under general anesthesia in order to get X-rays, pull some of her rotted teeth and put crowns on some of her teeth. But since Myradie hasn't had seen a doctor for a physical checkup, they can't move forward.
"So our lack of a primary care physician now means Myradie has to continue to live with a mouth full of rotten teeth," Jake said.
For now, the Koprowskis are at a standstill.
They're hoping to find a clinic in
"We're trying to get them up to American standards," Jake said.
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