12 year old Benjamin French is your average kid in many ways. He plays football, he goes to school and he plays with his 3 siblings. In one small way, Benjamin is different from other children his age: he was born without his right arm below the elbow.
Benjamin is a typical growing boy, so he needs a new prosthetic arm every two years or so. In Michigan, where he lives, insurance companies are able to set a maximum lifetime cap on prosthetics, so people like Benjamin can receive a limited number of devices.
33 states allow insurance companies to cap the lifetime coverage for prosthetics. It is less of a problem for adults, who can use a prosthetic arm or leg for extended periods of time, but children often need as many as a dozen to get through their childhood. A good fit is essential to making a prosthetic work. As a child grows and the device becomes too small, they can experience pain, poor function and eventually the limb won't fit at all.
For Benjamin, his prosthetic will cost about $30,000, which his parent's insurance will not pay. Considering he needs one every two years, and the fact that his parents make a combined $42,000 a year, means that he may have to go to school without the arm he desperately needs. His mother equates the expense to purchasing a brand new car every two years.
Read more about Benjamin's Story
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