Five hundred dollars could buy 125 gallons of gas, 30 steaks or coffee daily at Starbucks for nine months.
For Chris and Jodie DiMisa of Mount Airy, it buys them one month of formula for their infant son.
Cheaper, regular formula for 8-month-old Sam, who has a milk and soy allergy, is not an option.
‘‘He was a miserable and unhappy baby 24⁄7,” said Jodie DiMisa. His body’s inability to break down proteins cause Sam’s intestines to bleed, making him irritable and not gain weight at a healthy rate.
‘‘When you have a baby like Sam, the only place to go is an amino acid based formula,” DiMisa said, referring to a prescription formula called Neocate not covered by her insurance company. The formula can cost $450 to $600 a month.
‘‘You feel like you’ve paid for one case and you’re turning around and buying another, but you deal with it,” she said.
On Oct. 1, families, such as the DiMisa’s who were formally denied insurance coverage for the federally-regulated formula, will have help.
Maryland House Bill 578, which was signed in to law this year, requires insurance companies to reimburse families when the formula is necessary for ‘‘the diagnosis and treatment of certain allergies, syndromes, and conditions.”
Eight other states passed the legislation, making Maryland the ninth to do so, said Alyssa Gold, Neocate spokeswoman.
The diagnosis is becoming common in infants under one year old, said Anca Safta, a pediatric gastroenterologist at the University of Maryland.
‘‘In general, there’s an increasing prevalence and an increasing awareness so we’re seeing a lot more than 10 or 15 years ago,” Safta said.
DiMisa appealed to her insurance company for coverage while her first son Patrick was an infant with the same allergy.
‘‘I basically begged for some help,” said DiMisa, who took a 15 month leave of absence from work to deal with Patrick’s allergies and problems with reflux.
‘‘It’s not a choice. I need this otherwise you’ll be paying a hospital bill,” she told the board of two doctors and three nurses who ruled the formula to be a nutritional supplement, and not necessary when her first son was infant.
‘‘This is a treatment,” Safta said. ‘‘It’s as valid as getting a medication because it’s the only treatment.”
From a business viewpoint, they have to make money, said DiMisa, a former insurance agent. ‘‘But from a mother’s point of view, not like this.”
Patrick outgrew his milk and soy allergies, and DiMisa hopes Sam will do the same. Most children outgrow a milk or soy allergy by the age of 2, but others continue to react.
Even though the bill might not affect her for very long, DiMisa is excited.
‘‘If it stops one parent from going through the hell that I went through with trying to deal with the insurance agencies, it’s all worth it.”
