Denied by Medicaid, woman gets transplant

ATLANTA, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- An Atlanta woman denied an intestinal transplant by Georgia's Medicaid program has received the operation through charity, doctors say.

Doctors at Cleveland Clinic say they performed the surgery two months ago on Sabrina Holloway, a mother of eight, adding she has progressed well, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday.

"Everything went well," Holloway, 39, told the newspaper. "It feels real good."

Even though Holloway was covered by Medicaid, the insurance program for the poor and disabled, Georgia's version does not cover intestinal transplants for patients 21 years old and older. The newspaper wrote about Holloway's situation in June, while her physician, Dr. Ian Katz of Decatur, Ga., contacted several transplant centers. Cleveland Clinic eventually agreed to do the operation.

Even though other states' Medicaid programs approve intestinal transplants for people Holloway's age, Georgia's policy remains unchanged, a Department of Community Health spokeswoman told the Journal-Constitution last week.