Bill pushed by Ipswich woman could see insurance cover wigs for alopecia patients

IPSWICH — A local woman is continuing her three decades-long fight for insurance companies to cover the cost of wigs for Massachusetts residents with alopecia areata.

Heidi Bratt, 65, who also has special needs due to brain damage she sustained at birth, was first diagnosed with alopecia as a teenager. Like others living with this autoimmune disease, her hair began falling out in clumps and her appearance would never be the same.

“People go through a lot having this,” Bratt said. “Kids get bullied and adults are harassed.”

The amount of hair loss varies between individuals with this disease. Some lose clumps of hair, while others lose all of their hair, including eyebrows and eyelashes. For Bratt, her hair loss began at her bangs and mainly affected the top of her head.

The emotional and social effects of this can be devastating. Bratt said she’s heard of cases where people with alopecia lose their jobs or are placed in special needs classes while in school all because of how they look.

The condition can appear in people of all ages, genders and ethnicities. About 700,000 people currently have alopecia areata in some form in the U.S., according to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.

Bratt’s advocacy over the last 30 years has led to some health insurance companies in the state covering the cost of wigs for people like her — wigs that can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Those companies include Harvard Pilgrim, Tufts Health Plan and Blue Cross Blue Shield, she said.

She’s also spoken about her condition to students on the North Shore over the years and has received about 10 citations from state leaders, along with other honors including an award from the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.

“I’ve accomplished a great deal (for this community) because of me and my efforts,” Bratt said.

But the work isn’t done.

Massachusetts does not require insurance companies to cover wigs and facial hair prosthetics for those with alopecia areata —something Bratt aims to change with House Bill 4552.

The bill would amend already existing legislation that requires insurance companies to cover wigs and other prosthetics for cancer and leukemia patients to include coverage for those with alopecia areata.

“Heidi has been a driving, tireless force in moving this bill,” Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, told The Salem News.

“Her personal experience gives her the ability not only to speak with authority, but also to relate to legislators and others on a deeply personal and compelling basis about the need for the bill, the hardships people are experiencing without it, and the real difference it will make for the people it will help.”

Bratt is working with Tarr, state Sen. Joan Lovely, D-Salem, and state Rep. Sally Kerans, D-Danvers, to advance the bill.

The Joint Committee on Financial Services reported it favorably in September to the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, where it currently sits.

The hope is that the bill will see movement this summer. And, of course, that it will be approved by the state Legislature.

Bratt deserves recognition for everything she has done to advocate for those living with this condition, Kerans said.

“Heidi has been and continues to be tireless in her work to enable people living with alopecia to afford hair prostheses that are presentable and comfortable, whether in the workplace or the school playground,” Kerans said. “She’s an exceptional advocate and largely responsible for getting the bill this far along in the process.”

Bratt will give a presentation on alopecia areata during a public health fair that will run at Essex Tech from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sept. 26.

Contact Caroline Enos at CEnos@northofboston.com.

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