'I cannot afford that. I got off the phone and I just cried.'
Lindsey Hartell is a mother of two — Ava, 6, and Owen, 10 months.She is still having trouble finding formula for her son.
"I kept hearing oh there's a military plane that came in and dropped off a whole bunch of formula and I'm like where's my formula and it's not there. It's scary," said Hartell."I never thought I would ever even have to think twice about formula because formula should be accessible in every store. It should be very accessible for any baby whatever kind they need. They make a million kinds for that reason.
Owen is on a special formula because he's allergic to all other kinds. She can't just switch his formula."I couldn't believe I was actually hearing what I was hearing," said Hartell.The same exact formula and size is $59.99 at the store."It's more than my mortgage. It's a mortgage and a car payment," she said.
“If your child has a medical condition requiring a specialty formula instead of regular formula, your physician may be able to send a prescription to a medical nutrition provider, who will bill your insurance. It’s important to note that prescriptions for formula are only for patients with medical conditions requiring specialty formula, and insurance coverage varies by insurance plans.
This week, the Abbott Nutrition plant in Sturgis, Michigan halted the production of its EleCare specialty baby formula because of severe weather that caused flooding in the area.