Meet Noah. Noah is a normal 9-year-old boy who goes to school, has friends, and plays sports. He’s always smiling and lives a happy life with his parents and older brother. But Noah has one big difference that has changed the course of his life.

This is Noah feeding himself through his g-tube. When Noah was 5 years old he was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis. In a nutshell, it’s an autoimmune disease where when he eats, the body sees the food as a threat and white blood cells attack his esophagus. All throughout his early life, Noah always got sick whenever he ate. At 5 years old he only weighed 25 pounds and at that point in time is when the doctors recommended the feeding tube. Since the feeding tube was added, he has thrived and adjusted well to this new way of life. However, this brought new problems for his family. The formula for Noah’s feeding tube costs around $40 a day and so far no insurance company will pay for it. Stephanie, Noah’s mom, told me that they have felt helpless and frustrated while dealing with this problem. But recently they have received some help from Frankfort.

Kentucky Senator, Ray Jones, recently proposed a bill to address Noah’s family’s situation. The bill says that insurance companies have to cover the formulas for Eosinophilic Esophagitis and Short Bowl Syndrome. With the passing of this bill, families who are affected with these diseases will no longer have to worry about the financial stress of paying for the formula. If the bill is to be passed, it will forever been know as Noah’s Law.

In Noah’s situation, Stephanie said that she is so thankful that there is something that can provide Noah with the nutrition he needs. Since his diagnoses, the doctors have been able to reintroduce nine different foods, but these alone are not life sustaining. The formula Noah uses is keeping him alive, which causes great concern since the insurance companies have refused to cover this. As people, we pay high premiums so insurance companies will cover our health care necessities. Noah’s formula is keeping him alive and his family should not have to bear this financial burden.

The passing of Noah’s Law will not only change Noah’s family’s life, but every family affected with these diseases. It should not be a financial burden to provide their children with the medical care they need. I am a firm supporter of Noah’s Law and hope that this piece of legislation is passed for the benefit of our Commonwealth. To help show your support, contact your local state legislators to help ensure that no one is denied the healthcare coverage they need.