During Monday night’s City Council Meeting, a worried Ryan Dudenhoeffer attended looking for answers when a new insurance plan was introduced and voted on to be utilized by his family.
“My husband Ryan works for the city in the parks department,” said wife Meghan Dudenhoeffer.
“We usually have Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance; that’s what the whole city utilizes for their insurance. My husband went to the city council meeting on Monday night because he was made aware. It was on the agenda that something about Quantify was on. Everybody that has high-risk or high-cost drugs will be required to be part of this program.”
Quantifty is a specialty care program specializing in high-touch therapies and biologics for members with rare diseases and chronic conditions. the Dudenhoeffers have a son, Grady, who has a rare disease called Pompe.
With past treatments costing up to $50,000, Dudenhoeffer worries that this new system will still not provide coverage for her and her son.
“He is on a drug called nexvizime which is a high-dollar drug. It’s only one manufacturer. There will not be a generic version and it will not come at a lower cost. My son gets bi-weekly enzyme replacement because glycogen storage disease breaks down the muscle and causes muscle weakness throughout the body,” said Dudenhoeffer.
These fears come after other attempts to shift the family’s insurance made by the city’s Human Resources Department and Attorneys.
In July, Mr. Dudenhoeffer was asked to switch from the standard insurance voluntarily, but claims to have been given little information only to find out that the company does not cover their son’s medication.
Meghan searched for answers before settling.
“Being the advocate that I am for my son and the mother that I am and the mother that I am I fought until I found somebody that could point me in the right direction and I got a hold of someone who they led to tell me that my son’s medication would not in fact be covered,” said Dudenhoeffer.
After reaching out to several city council members, a Facebook post was created by Dudenhoeffer to bring awareness to the issue.
City Administrator Bryan Crane later released a statement sharing how this switch comes with hopes of keeping the city’s medical program intact.
“At present, the City’s health trust fund generates approximately $4.5 million annually. Unfortunately, projected claims for this year are expected to reach $6.5 million, leaving us with a $2 million shortfall each year. This gap represents an unsustainable financial situation that, if left unaddressed, would jeopardize the entire program,” said Crane in the statement.
He then added that they are exploring every option to accommodate all families supported by the program and have a goal of prioritizing “both the health of our employees and the long-term sustainability of our city’s health insurance program.”