KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An Olathe woman is counting on community support to help pay for a medication that could save her life.
Kaitlyn Sy's life recently took an unexpected and frightening turn.
"It’s like, from being a med student taking care of patients — I became the patient," Sy, a first-year medical student, said.
Doctors diagnosed Sy in 2021 with Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), an autoimmune disorder.
Her immune system mistakenly attacks platelets, which leads to bleeding episodes.
The name of the condition is as complicated as the possible consequences.
"My brain could just bleed, and I could die," Sy said.
Her condition worsened recently and she needed emergency care.
"I had to go to the ER," she said. "I was having extremely heavy menstrual bleeding. I was having to wear adult diapers and change every few hours."
After trying other medications, doctors prescribed Sy a drug called promacta.
She said Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City denied coverage for the medication, which costs about $10,000.
Sy said it was a misunderstanding.
“On our insurance card, in the top right corner, it says in big blue letters 'Preferred-Care Blue,'" Sy said. "Our understanding is that plan covers brand-name drugs like promacta."
She found out her insurance plan, Affordablue, is one that doesn't cover brand name drugs.
The misunderstanding, she said, caused unnecessary delays.
KSHB 41's Fernanda Silva reached out to the company, but didn't hear back from them.
In January, Sy will switch to a different insurance plan.
KSHB 41 spoke with Chris Garmon, a UMKC professor of Health Administration. He says no matter what coverage you have, insurance can be hard to navigate.
"If you go into your plan documents, even then, it's not going to tell you exactly which drugs are covered and which are not," Garmon said.
For Sy, hope came from her friends, who started a fundraiser.
In a few days, enough money was raised to cover two months of medication. She was able to take the medication for the first time Thursday.
"I would probably have to drop out of medical school if I couldn’t pay for this medication," Sy said.
She says the help she received gives her a sense of purpose in her life, purpose she calls "amplifying voices," and helping people who are struggling to understand the complexities of insurance.
"The people who navigate the most complicated things imaginable can’t navigate health insurance" Sy said. "So, then, go figure how the average person is supposed to figure it all out."
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KSHB 41 reporter Fe Silva covers education stories involving K-12. Share your story idea with Fe.