An insurance company has pledged to make sure a speech-impaired toddler gets the medical help she needs — after the child’s mother was made redundant twice in the past year.

Single mother Alvina Brangman had begun fundraising to ensure her two-year-old daughter Eleah Basden could get extensive assessments for verbal apraxia at Boston Children’s Hospital, as reported in yesterday’s edition of The Royal Gazette.

Ms Brangman was told by insurers Argus that the estimated $5,000 cost wouldn’t be covered by her individual health insurance plan, as the condition was pre-existing when the policy was agreed.

But Argus said yesterday it would pay for Eleah’s treatment at a different hospital and would work with other clients struggling to pay for medical care due to job losses.

Michelle Brock Jackson, Argus’s executive vice president of group insurance, said: “Obviously, the recession has hit people. We are trying to work with people so people don’t need to fundraise.

“We take pretty seriously our commitment to our clients. It’s obvious everybody is feeling the recession.

“When job losses happen, we want to work to ensure that medical treatment continues when necessary.

“There are unfortunately a number of people that can fall through the gap as a result of a redundancy or other related matters when they move to an individual plan.

“However, we look at cases on an individual basis and work with our clients to ensure that their medical care continues.

“In the case of Ms Brangman’s daughter, we were able to find her more cost-effective testing at an excellent hospital in Toronto.

“This reduced the cost for Argus and enabled Ms Brangman’s daughter to have access to the care she needs.

“We work very hard to find solutions for our clients, particularly in the current economic climate.”

Ms Brangman, 40, has another daughter, five-year-old Anae Brangman, who also needs overseas hospital treatment due to tumours on her forehead.

Ms Brangman was told Anae’s treatment would be covered by the Argus policy because the tumours appeared after the plan was set up. The delighted mother said yesterday: “I am so glad that Argus has agreed to pay the funds for both of my girls.”

Ms Brock Jackson said: “Argus would have covered the treatment for Anae. We are now going to cover both Anae and Eleah and we are going to work with Ms Brangman and the children to make sure the medical treatment is covered.”

She added that Eleah would now be tested at the “excellent” Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto.

“Our partnership with SickKids is a great example of being able to offer an outstanding overseas facility for a lower cost without compromising quality. In today’s healthcare environment, Argus believes that healthcare solutions must reduce costs while continuing to improve quality and outcomes.

“SickKids is recognised as one of the world’s foremost paediatric healthcare institutions and is Canada’s leading centre dedicated to advancing children’s health through the integration of patient care, research and education.”

Ms Brock Jackson said Argus clients had access to SickKids thanks to a 15-year partnership with Europ Assistance — Global Corporate Solutions (EA-GCS), formerly known as Canadian Medical Network.

“The opportunity to receive care at SickKids Hospital is just one example of the initiatives that EA-GCS has worked with Argus to put in place over the last several years that has allowed our members to maximise their insurance benefits, while ensuring they continue to gain access to top quality healthcare.”

Ms Brangman was made redundant as an account manager from hedge fund company FX Concepts in January last year and then from Supermart last month.

She is looking for work and anyone who can help should e-mail her at albrang@northrock.bm.