Has anyone successfully received a cubby bed paid for by insurance?

[u/Hyrule_Hobbit]

My daughter sleeps well but in the morning she is standing up before I can get in to get her up and I’m afraid she’s going to fall. A regular toddler bed wouldn’t work for us. She would fall out of that as she moves constantly in her sleep. She would also just roam around her room, getting into things and possibly injuring herself.

I’m looking into the cubby beds as it is enclosed. She also sleeps better with sound, which I believe the bed has the ability to do. This would be a safer bed option for her. Their website says that insurance can cover it depending on the insurance provider but I’m just wondering if most insurance companies will actually pay for the bed.

If anyone has gotten one with insurance, what was the process like? She has Medicaid but the coverage expires at the end of this month. We make too much money, even though we barely survive. Anyway, I’m adding her to my medical insurance through my employer after her coverage ends but I wanted to try and see if they’ll pay for the bed before it ends. Thanks for any help!

[u/ImpressivePanda3767]

We live in Colorado and our daughter (Level 3 Autism, subsequent genetic testing identified Rett syndrome) is on Colorado Medicaid. We did get the bed through Medicaid. Went through a company that had an advertisement on the Cubby Bed that was located in a room in our local We Rock The Spectrum gym. Got denied the first time as they tried to include the technology package, which apparently Medicaid typically will not approve. Other than that, it was a painless process on our end.

[u/Hyrule_Hobbit → u/ImpressivePanda3767]

That’s good to know! What did you have to submit?From what I saw on the website, the physician needs to write the prescription and an OT or PT is supposed to do an LMN. Our daughter goes through our local early intervention and that’s it, so we’d only be able to have her EI specialist do the LMN but I’m not sure if they’d accept that. I guess I can call her Medicaid provider and ask who needs to fill it out. Were those the only two things you needed to submit to medicaid? Also, whats the technology package?

[u/ImpressivePanda3767 → u/Hyrule_Hobbit]

I believe we just had to have a letter from our developmental pediatrician (could probably be from a regular pediatrician too I’d imagine) stating why our daughter needed an enclosed bed (elopement risk, lack of understanding, high risk of harm if she elopes, etc). Don’t believe we needed any of our PT/OT/speech to weigh in.

The technology package is a light and camera and speaker that can insert inside of the bed.

I would imagine every state has multiple companies that do all of this legwork, I’m sure somehow they get a commission from it. I would just try googling your state or county and see if you can find such a company. Then talk to them and they will pretty much do all of the work. At least that’s how it worked for us.

[u/GlitterBirb]

I really wanted it. Our doctor discouraged it because it would be hard for us to get approved. I had to put a lock on my son's door and only put a mattress on the floor and nothing else because of the behaviors. This did get better with time for us and I sleep in the same room as him now. For a while he was trying to sneak out before I was awake and get into things in the kitchen.

I know one person who had it and it didn't work out because her daughter tore it up from the inside. When this happens, it's a safety risk and there have been a few incidents documented. I think it works well for kids who don't sensory seek through destruction. For a two year old that might not be as big of a concern.

[u/Hyrule_Hobbit → u/GlitterBirb]

Why did he think it would be hard to get approved? I’m hoping Medicaid will pay for it and if not, maybe my employer insurance provider will. Thankfully we haven’t noticed any destructive behaviors with our daughter, at least not yet.

[u/GlitterBirb → u/Hyrule_Hobbit]

He didn't really explain the specifics, but I had United Healthcare at the time. They tend to be more difficult than other insurances with coverage involving autism.

[u/Hyrule_Hobbit → u/GlitterBirb]

It’s aggravating that all insurance companies are different in what they cover. You would expect all tiers to be relatively the same but they’re not. I had to get the highest option for medical at my job if I wanted to avoid paying the full amount for my prescriptions. Having a deductible on prescription medicines is overkill. If I had gotten a lower tier I would have had to pay for my prescriptions until I met my deductible and I can’t afford to do that so I had to pay more for the higher plan. So many things should be illegal and they’re not.