Written by Lucy Weber http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120514/NEWS/205140323/Butlers-victory-may-help-thousands
Jim Butler, the husband of Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler, could represent hope to countless stroke victims across the country who are denied insurance coverage for needed, specialized brain therapy. An administrative appeal officer recently awarded coverage to Butler for cognitive rehabilitation therapy, calling it “medically necessary” after his insurer, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, originally denied his claim last year. The family went through layers of appeals through the course of a year before receiving this final verdict in late April.
“We completely agree this opens the door for 800,000″ stroke
victims in the U.S., said Susan H. Connors, president and CEO of the Brain Injury Association of America. “Even though this is one person in one state and one insurance company, the one plus one plus one equals many.”