I am so sorry to hear about your amputation, and that medical treatment that you believe may have helped you was not available because of insurance reasons.
Effective transplants of entire limbs, hands, or feet are rare but have been done effectively. Transplants normally involve a lifetime of immunosuppressive medications, which can cause However, there are other, more common transplants which are effective for some amputees. Nerves can in many cases be successfully transplanted, which can help amputees who have nerve injuries. Skin, muscles and tendons can also be successfully transplanted in some cases in order to help amputees.
There are some advantages that a prosthetic limb can offer over transplants. Transplants can take a long time to become effective, and could lead to re-injury of the limb. A transplant may not ever “take”, and an amputation and prosthesis may ultimately be required anyway. The immunosuppression drugs that patients must take have complications and side effects, and the patient could ultimately end up rejecting the limb anyway.
If you believe that your insurance company acted improperly in denying your claim, it may be time to speak with an attorney. Insurance companies are not required to pay for treatments that are experimental or not medically necessary. In some cases, insurance companies may act in bad faith in denying claims, which can lead to either patients not receiving the treatment to which they are entitled, or being stuck with huge medical bills after a claim has been denied.
Call me, Conal Doyle, Amputation Attorney, at 310-385-0567 if you are an amputee and you believe your claim has been illegally denied. I am also an amputee and I work hard on behalf of other amputees to get them the compensation they deserve. Call to learn more.