A family that’s turned to fundraising to cover nine-year-old Gracie Prang’s hearing aids had their frustrations brought to the legislative assembly.
Gracie needs a new type of hearing aid that costs $6,400 to purchase. Her mom, Stephanie Schneck, said that annual maintenance and necessary accessories cost between $1,000 and $2,000 annually.
Schneck works three jobs supporting Gracie and her two other children. As a result, she surpasses the cap on being eligible for assistance from the provincial government.
“We went through every avenue, every phone number, anything we could for help. There’s nothing,” Schneck said.
“You can go to the employment supplement, I want to say we might have been $2,000 over. I work three jobs. I have to support my family, so you’re penalizing me for making money and refusing to help my daughter.”
NDP health critic Vicki Mowat brought Scheck’s story to the legislature on Thursday.
The device Gracie needs to hear is called Adhear, an adhesive bone conductive hearing aid.
Health Minister Jim Reiter said Adhear is a very new technology, and they are investigating what the options are for potential public coverage.
“Essentially, I’m going to ask her to be patient for a little bit while we do look at it, and see what we can do. We need to understand whether this is just a more expensive hearing aid or a device that’s going to prevent possibly surgery, those sorts of things,” Reiter said.
“I feel for her, that’s got to be very difficult and we’re going to get her some answers as soon as we possibly can.”
Reiter is hopeful an answer can be provided for Schneck in weeks, based on talks with Health Canada officials.
In response to Mowat’s questioning, Reiter said he would set up a meeting with Schneck.
Once the meeting happens, Schneck said she wants Reiter to know the struggle her family has had to endure.
“By having zero coverage and zero help, you’ve put us in a position where I had to tell my daughter you don’t get to hear. Because you’re saying this is a new technology we don’t know anything about it – learn,” Schneck said.
Saskatchewan’s hearing aid program was cut in the 2017/18 budget, saving around $3 million. Adult services were phased out on July 1, 2017, while a longer wind-down takes place for child services.
If Adhear is classed as a more expensive hearing aid, Reiter said it could be classed under the children’s hearing aid program. If it prevents future surgery or other procedures it could fall into another category.
Under the children’s hearing aid plan, the devices are bulk purchased by the government and then bought at a discount by parents.
In addition to advocating for Gracie, Schneck is pushing for improved supports for other parents in similar situations. She said Gracie will be ok, there’s community support for her and strong fundraising drives.
“But the next mom, maybe she’s not going to have this drive to push and go. She’s just going to go ‘I’m sorry we can’t do it,’ and then what?” Schneck said.
“We’re raising our children not to be able to hear. What can she do in school not being able to hear? What’s she going to do in the work life when she has been raised with no hearing and pushed through school, pushed aside? What’s she going to amount to in life? Nothing. Why are we doing that to our children?”
With files from Rebekah Lesko