By Dave Schafer

The last time Marshall Scott had an allergic reaction, he missed six weeks of his senior year at Lamar High School. The reaction was triggered by dust kicked up while Scott was pulling up carpet at his church.

First headaches, wheezing and coughing.

Then, a fever struck. The illness dropped into his chest – bronchitis. Doctors fought off pneumonia, but then he developed stomach problems that caused him to throw up.

Scott’s also allergic to smoke, flowers, and all types of grasses and trees. “He has a very long list of allergies,” said his mother, Alyce Coffey, manager of the Solid Waste Management’s Southeast Service Center.

Scott’s allergies are so severe that every Wednesday morning he gets an allergy shot. The shots are partially covered by HMO Blue Texas; Coffey pays more than $300 every six months for the vials of medicine and pays an $11 copayment each week for the injection.

But when he starts college at Georgia Tech this fall, Scott won’t be able to get his shots from his local HMO Blue Texas allergist. So Coffey is exploring the Away From Home Care Guest Membership Program, which offers her a chance to keep Scott’s HMO coverage without an increase in premium.

AFHC is part of the BlueCard program, which links BlueCross BlueShield providers nationwide. When an HMO member or covered dependent will be living out of state for at least 90 days in participating locations, he can become a guest member of a Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association-affiliated HMO, allowing him to retain HMO coverage at the same premium.

“It is important for plan members to have easy access to affordable health care for routine scheduled treatment, ongoing treatment or a medical emergency,” said Gerri Walker, Human Resources benefits manager. “This program provides peace of mind and saves money.”

About 150 members of the city’s HMO are in the AFHC program, according to BlueCross BlueShield.

Exploring options
With her son’s high school graduation speeding toward her, Coffey worked out a few solutions mentally. Scott could learn to give himself the shots. She could cultivate a relationship with the nurses’ clinic at his school. She could work with his allergist to find an allergy specialist in that city who will administer the shots for a negotiated fee.

In a worst-case scenario, Scott would only get the medicine when he really needed it.

The medicine has to be refrigerated, and Coffey would have to make the arrangements for that as well as find a doctor and negotiate a price for the injections.

“It’s a lot more stress than anybody needs,” she said.

Then, she learned about the Away From Home Care Program.

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