Family Battles Insurance Company While Toddler Awaits Lifesaving Heart Surgery
ORANGE COUNTY (CBSLA) — An Orange County toddler is in Boston tonight awaiting a potentially lifesaving surgery that his family's insurance plan refused to cover.
Noah Connally was born with an under-developed left ventricle that leaves the active three year old operating with only 80% oxygen.
Doctors at Boston Children's Hospital can fix his heart using a rare, complicated procedure — but it will cost his family $1 million. The family's insurance company Anthem Blue Cross of California denied coverage for the procedure, because the hospital was not in-network, the Orange County Register reported.
"They offered us a third-stage surgery, which would lead to a transplant in Noah's future," Noah's mom Niccole Connally said. "And we're not willing to give up that fast for their mediocre opportunity."
A GoFundMe has been started to help cover the family's medical and travel costs associated with getting treatment for Noah. As of Tuesday, more than $30,000 had been raised.
Noah is expected to undergo the more than 10-hour surgery on Thursday.