Anne Marie Hukriede has three times appealed her insurance company’s decision not to cover her daughter’s scoliosis surgery.

The answer each time was the same: Aetna considers the procedure that doctors recommend for her 12-year-old daughter, Vivian, to be experimental, citing a lack of evidence about long-term safety and efficacy.

Mother fights to get coverage for daughter’s scoliosis surgery

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When the company’s third denial came on Nov. 11, Vivian’s surgery was just days away. Given that the procedure can cost up to $100,000 out of pocket, the family postponed it.

Hukriede, who lives in Centennial, Colorado, exhausted her final chance for appeal last month. Now, the ideal window for Vivian to access the treatment is closing, since the surgery must be done while a child still ha

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