State approves care for local man
Sen. Inverso takes case
to governor
BY CHARLES W. KIM
Staff Writer

A South Brunswick family will be able to keep skilled nursing care for its comatose son.

"Our hopes are higher, but we have not heard from the state yet," Nancy Snedeker said Wednesday afternoon.

The New Jersey Health and Benefits Program denied the family custodial care benefits for their son, Michael, who has been in a coma for 22 years.

After the family made an appeal to state officials and the media on Tuesday, the state approved skilled nursing benefits for their son later that day, according to officials.

"The family is enrolled in a Medicaid program for private duty nursing which is tailored for situations such as these," said Tom Vincz of the state’s Treasury Department.

Michael Snedeker fell into a backyard pool when he was just 2 years old and has been in a coma ever since. His father, Jack, was an employee of South Brunswick Township and was covered under the town’s health insurance plan at the time. Since that time, the family has had to deal with five different insurance companies and as many different policies.

"Three of the companies covered us," Snedeker said Tuesday afternoon.

In one instance, the family obtained a court order forcing a New York-based company to continue Michael’s care. That order, however, is not binding in New Jersey.

When South Brunswick switched to the state Health and Benefits Plan in March 2002, the plan refused to provide coverage for the family.

"Four different doctors evaluated Michael; one didn’t even see him. That was the one [whose opinion] they went with," Snedeker said.

When the state plan denied their son benefits, the family sought the help of state Sen. Peter Inverso (R-14), and Gov. James McGreevey.

"I am pleased and encouraged that the forum we held with the Snedeker family and their friends may have resulted in an expedited review of Michael’s case," Inverso said in a statement Wednesday.

About 20 family members and friends attended Tuesday’s forum at Pierre’s restaurant on Georges Road to support the family.

Now 24, Michael still needs the attention of skilled nurses to care for him in the family’s Kendall Park home, according to Snedeker.

"He can’t chew. They have to make sure he doesn’t choke," Michael’s sister, Cindy Fay, 26, said.

Fay said that although her brother is technically in a coma, it is not what most people think.

"People think that when you are in a coma, you are lifeless, not really alert. Michael’s not like that. When he is in pain, he cries. If I walk into the room, he’ll look toward me, hearing my voice," Fay said.

Skilled nursing care for Michael was scheduled to end on Nov. 3 unless the state intervened. The family had accumulated more than $300,000 in bills since March of 2002.

Township Manager Matt Watkins said Wednesday that he was happy to hear the family will get the care they need. Watkins had been working on the problem on behalf of the township.

"We are looking into this," Watkins said Tuesday night.

Despite the good news, Inverso said he plans on reviewing the policies and proce­dures that the state health plan has in place so that a similar situation does not occur.

"I plan to continue a review of the statutes that pertain to the state Health Benefits Commission," Inverso said in a re­leased statement.

Vincz said that McGreevey went "the extra mile" to make sure that Michael re­ceived the care he needed.

Nancy Snedeker said she will feel better when she sees something in writing.

"We’ve been getting the run-around for the last 18 months," She said.