Need to contact health department about step son's positive skin test - questions

[jg121783 3,907]

My step son tested positive on the tb skin test but was negative on the chest xray during his medical exam. My wife has some documents that say we need to contact the health department about this now that they are here in the US. It is my understanding he will need to undergo a treatment. Does anyone know how much it will cost and if health insurance will cover it? I am in the process of adding my wife and step son to my insurance. Are they going to make him start the treatment immediately or will I have a little time so I can get my health insurance straightened out? Also we are going to enroll my step son in school today. Is this going to cause any issues with enrolling him in school?

[Georgia16 2,858]

He has to have the school physical form filed out before he can join school. (Here they gave us 30 days though because he just got here we did it before though) But honestly I would think it would cause problems if he is tested positive for tb. The schools are very strict on stuff like this. And I understand this as a mom to a child in school I appreciate these strict rules.

 

You could talk to your doctor and see what they say though. And bring the DS-3025 so they doctor can see the vaccines he just got so he won't have to do them again.

[yuna628 9,527]

I know this is a Philippines specific question, and I may be way off base to suggest this to you - but are you sure about the skin test and that it is not a false positive? I say this because some citizens of the UK, may be perfectly fine on a chest x-ray, and then for whatever reason are told they need a new full medical in the US. They have one of course, and the doctor for whatever reason doesn't realize that at some point in their lives they have received something called a BCG (a vaccine we don't receive stateside) which may or may not at times trigger a false positive result in some TB tests. There are different and more reliable methods of testing in a situation like that, but likely more expensive. It can cause a lot of stress for patients like this. If this isn't a situation where there can be no doubt however, I would certainly get him coverage any way you can, because I doubt it would be covered without it, and he will certainly need treatment of some sort, but consulting the circumstances with a doctor would be important (some people may also have latent TB and need no treatment). A definitive answer would really be a type of blood test. A skin test failure is not a definitive diagnosis and may not mean your son needs treatment.

Edited February 21, 2017 by yuna628

[jg121783 3,907]

I have been told by nurses I know that anyone who has worked in a hospital will come up positive on the skin test and it doesn't mean you actually have tb. I do remember someone here on vj saying the health department might contact me about this and put my step son on a treatment. Maybe there is another test I could have done to see if he really needs it. I wish my employer would get their act together and get me the form I asked for two weeks ago to add my wife and step son to my insurance.

[Sagot 1,548]

8 hours ago, jg121783 said:

My step son tested positive on the tb skin test but was negative on the chest xray during his medical exam. My wife has some documents that say we need to contact the health department about this now that they are here in the US. It is my understanding he will need to undergo a treatment. Does anyone know how much it will cost and if health insurance will cover it? I am in the process of adding my wife and step son to my insurance. Are they going to make him start the treatment immediately or will I have a little time so I can get my health insurance straightened out? Also we are going to enroll my step son in school today. Is this going to cause any issues with enrolling him in school?

If you step-son needed to complete DOT for TB he would never have been issued a visa for starters.. until that was completed at SLEC.

 

Because of his positive skin test he will have to complete another test done at the Health Department, just as a follow-up and precaution.  (and maybe xrays again)

 

 

Edited February 22, 2017 by Sagot

[Greenbaum 12,258]

I concur with sagot. Contact the health dept and proceed with this. If it's a skin test, cost should be minimal. Call your insurance company to determine if it's covered. 

 

These types of questions should be asked from the school, health department and your insurance.  Every institution within each state can be different.

[teddy k 35]

Hi JG, JUST TAKE YOUR STEPSON TO THE CLINIC WHERE YOU LIVE MOST ARE FREE JUST HAVE TO GET THERE ON A FIRST COME WALK IN 

[Sagot 1,548]

^^^^   Exactly!!

 

Git er dun!!

 

[jg121783 3,907]

I will call the health dept tomorrow (at work now) and do what they ask me to do on Monday. Still dealing with a headache trying to get my wife and step son on my health insurance.

Edited February 23, 2017 by jg121783

[AndyCandy 6]

Postive skin test for children doesn't mean they have TB and needs to undergo a treatment.. he could either be allergic to PPD which was used during the skin test, or exposed to TB but doesn't really have TB..most reliable tests to determine tb are chest xray and sputum test(if possible).. Follow ups with pediatricians are needed for them to certify that the child is medically/physically healthy before they can start school..better be safe than sorry.. shouldn't be too expensive good luck..

[jg121783 3,907]

So I finally got a hold of the WI dept of health today. They told me they didn't even receive records from the CDC for my step son yet. I told them what the paper work for the tb skin test said and she said it is nothing to worry about because most people from the Philippines get a vaccine that causes a false positive. She said the county health dept would get a hold of me about doing a blood test and she will call the CDC to request the records. She also said she recommends I wait for the blood test until my step son is on my insurance. So it looks like this is not going to be a big issue.