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Home Phototherapy Unit

Posted by Frank Schwartz on January 30, 2012 at 4:47pm in Main

I am thinking of purchasing a Home Phototherapy Unit. Does anyone here have one and can you tell me if you had any luck with insurance paying for it and how well it has worked. 

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Replies

  • Kimi April 8, 2012 at 5:26pm

    I have a Solarc Systems UVB machine and I repigmented in many areas! And I paid for it, well my mom did..sucks how vitiligo is seen as a cosmetic problem. But I think you should get a UVB light because it really does repigment the skin, some spots longer than others. and without it I would've had more spots covering my body so i'm glad I have the UVB light. 

  • Christie January 31, 2012 at 1:07am
    We have a hand held unit for my son from National Biological. It is working great! Lots of repigmentation. We have Cigna insurance who supposedly refuses to cover anything vitiligo, but somehow they miraculously approved ours. our derm said he wrote a long and detailed letter. Good luck!
    • gina andrews > Christie May 5, 2012 at 4:40pm

      can u tell me how much it costs?

    • Leo > Christie March 27, 2012 at 3:44pm

      That's why I gave up wasting money in the war against Vitiligo...I just try to ignore it even though I still believe it doesnt help me land a good job or have a normal social life..

       

       

    • Pd > Christie March 27, 2012 at 11:43am
      Yah. I'm a doctor.  And I def hate insurance companies. It's so annoying. They still treat vitiligo like a purely cosmetic disorder and think we just want to be covered like someone getting a facelift.  Then I have a patient that comes in with neuropathy and gets his medication totally covered to help him with some tingling in his foot. Don't get me wrong. I sympathize with my patients but I just don't get why we are not treated the same as other people that need meds! 
      • Christie > Pd March 27, 2012 at 12:36pm
        Amen!! I could not agree more!
  • Craig January 30, 2012 at 6:19pm

    I have a Natbio hand unit (http://www.natbiocorp.com/hand-foot-II.htm)   prescribed by my doctor.  I paid for it out of pocket as my insurance refuse to pay even after my doc wrote them a medical necessity letter.  The insurance companies have gotten much worse these days.  I recently went back to my doc to get protopic to treat an old spot that had gone away from UV treatment that have resurfaced and they refused to pay for it.  Instead, they want to put me on topical steroids and would only pay for protopic after steroids are proven ineffective after who knows how long.  I ended up buying protopic online with my doc's prescription also out of pocket but it was 40% cheaper than my local pharmacy.

    • Vitiligan Princess > Craig March 27, 2012 at 9:57am

      Insurance Comapanies really do suck!!!  They have no sympathy for Vitiligo, calling it a cosmetic disorder (it's like listen I don't want my skin repigmented to be pretty, more like I want it repigmented to look like everyone else, I am not asking for a boob job to enhance my assets. I just wanna be "Normal")  Everytime I go to my derm and get a prescription... it's like they covered it last time, but now rules have changed so its not covered this time... WTF??? So I finally find something that works and is covered, and now your taking it away from me, so I have to start the process all over again!!! So frustrating!!!  I hate Insurance Companies.  It's like let me slap a couple of white patches on your skin for a day and see how long you can last? And the people denying our claims, have no medical training, and have no idea what anything has to do with anything, lets get some medically trained representatives to back up these insurance companies and then I will stop cursing out every health insurance representative I get on the phone.  Jus sayin, thanks for letting me vent :/

      • gina andrews > Vitiligan Princess May 5, 2012 at 4:36pm

        i live in a tiny town, and i cant get any doc to take my insur..dont know wat im gonna do

           

    • Frank Schwartz > Craig January 30, 2012 at 6:30pm

      Thanks. I am using Protopic now, but my Vitiligo has begun to spread a lot within the past 3 years so I am thinking of a Home Phototherapy unit because I don't have the time to go to a physician's office 2-3 time a week. I can afford a Home Phototherapy unit so I am not worried if insurance will not pay. The only thing that worries me is how people talk about getting burned and how it's not permanent etc...almost makes me want to do Microskin instead since I will be in L.A. in May anyways. 

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