By admin 
KERNERSVILLE, N.C. (WGHP) – A Triad family is sharing their story of a health emergency and insurance struggles, hoping to effect change and encourage others in their position to get the help they need.
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Just 24 hours out from an essential surgery for their six-year-old Bennett, the Reel family says their insurance denied the operation. They spent hours on the phone and their own money out of pocket for a medical advocate to get the care they needed.
“Let them do the stuff and pray a lot,” Bennett Reel said.
His parents, Lauren and Daniel Reel, say that’s his motto. Six-year-old Bennett Reel is back home and back to being himself just a few weeks after brain surgery. They’re grateful for remarkable results, but the Reel family says their overall experience was incredibly difficult.
Brenner Children’s Hospital diagnosed Bennett with a brain tumor this summer. The local hospital recommended an expert pediatric neurosurgeon in Memphis, Tennessee to operate as soon as possible. The family set a date and jumped on a plane. But just before the operation, their insurance denied their request.
“We found a patient advocate that was given to me by a friend, and we paid him to tell us what to do, to get through these hoops because we had less than 24 hours to make this happen,” Lauren Reel said.
Their insurance denied the surgery because the surgeon was out of network.
“So the catch to this is our insurance policy does not have a neurosurgeon underneath its blanket,” Lauren Reel said.
With hardly any time to spare, their extended family helped, spending hours on the phone explaining the situation.
“We were on the phone on hold for hours trying to figure all this out. I mean, our phones died multiple times trying to get through this,” Lauren Reel said.
They considered admitting Bennett to the ER to try and get his care approved through an emergency avenue. Their determination paid off, and approval came through just as pre-operation work began. For Bennett’s father it was an eye-opening experience.
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“It was concerning to us. It was stressful for us to not know if we were going to get any help,” Daniel Reel said.
Thankfully, the family learned Bennett’s tumor was fully removed and it was cancer free. As Bennett returned home to his normal routines, his partents’ thoughts turned to anyone else in their shoes.
“What happens for the ones that aren’t as blessed as we are that we were able to get it get it handled? You know, so it does kind of raise a few red flags for us that it didn’t come together and mold as quickly as we would have liked it to be able to have all of the best things like we do in America,” Daniel Reel said.
The Reel family hopes by sharing Bennett’s story they set a precedent for approving urgent treatment for kids with more transparency and communication. Their own story is not over, as they will continue to have follow-up appointments to watch Bennett’s condition.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to help him. But if there’s somebody else in the world at some point that needs this care, hopefully Bennett’s case can help, you know, pave the way so that they’ll know a standard of care of what to expect,” Lauren Reel said.
The family travelled as a whole to Memphis, and Bennet’s older brother Brantley said it was both a scary and hopeful time.
“At first, when we went to Brenner, I was really scared because I didn’t know what any of it meant. But when we got to Memphis, I was like, okay, I know what’s going on now. And then I felt a little bit better about everything,” Brantley Reel said.
He shared advice for other siblings; to pray and have faith that your family will make it through together. The Reels plan to continue to openly share their process to help others navigate any similar situation and advocate for transparency in complicated healthcare.
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