Health insurance has it covered
According to the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), the rates of emergency room visits in Boston for asthma are highest among children younger than five years old. The BPHC also reports that black and Latino Boston residents have higher rates of asthma hospitalization than Asian and white residents. In 2004, the hospitalization rates were three to four times higher for black and Latino residents than for their Asian and white counterparts. National studies have shown that asthma-related mortality rates are especially high among African Americans, at least four times greater than for white Americans.
What may help all Bay State asthma sufferers breathe more easily is to know that all of Massachusetts’s health insurers cover the equipment and medicines required to control and treat the disease. Peak flow meters, spacers for inhalers, dual prescriptions for rescue inhalers and other products, such as nebulizers, are almost universally covered. Many insurers also cover asthma management training and education.
To find out more about the coverage your insurance provides contact your health plan.
DEFINITIONS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Asthma:
A condition characterized by the inflammation and narrowing of the bronchial tubes as well as the production of excess mucus. These disturbances cause wheezing, coughing and difficulty in breathing.
Inhaler:
A hand-held portable device that delivers medication directly to the patient’s lungs. Some inhalers deliver short-acting medications for immediate relief, while others deliver long-term control medications that are taken on a regular basis.
Nebulizer:
Nebulizers are designed for those who cannot use an inhaler, such as infants, young children and those who are seriously ill. The device works by converting medication into a mist and delivering it through a mask worn over the nose and mouth.
Peak expiratory flow rate:
The speed with which one can breathe out (exhale), as measured by a peak flow meter. If one has asthma, the peak expiratory flow rate may be used to monitor lung change.
Peak flow meter/monitor:
A hand-held device that measures peak expiratory flow rate.
Spacer 
:
A short tube that attaches to an inhaler to help improve delivery of the medication to the patient’s lungs. The spacer acts as a holding chamber to prevent medication from escaping into the surrounding air. This allows a slower, more direct inhalation that increases the amount of medication reaching the patient’s lungs rather than being deposited in their mouth or throat.
Triggers:
Allergens, such as pollen and dust mites, or irritants, such as exercise and cigarette smoke, that cause an increase in asthma signs and symptoms.
(These definitions were obtained from the Mayo Clinic’s website, www.mayoclinic.com, unless otherwise noted.)
: An inhaler that generally uses a chemical propellant to push doses of medication out of the inhaler. 
), which provide immediate relief of asthma symptoms. Those inhalers used to relieve the symptoms of asthma are known as reliever or “rescue” medications and those that reduce the inflammation of asthma are known as controller medications. Inhaled reliever medications are used on an as-needed basis, whereas inhaled controller medications are generally used on a fixed dosage — a specific number of puffs, a specific number of times per day. (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology