I suppose it depends on what type of surgery she needs and if medical providers in your state have the expertise or current experience to do the surgery.

We successfully convinced our insurance provider to cover costs for surgery out of our country. At first they refused to cover the costs stating that the surgery was available here. We supported our claim by providing information about the surgery techniques needed for this highly specialized procedure. We consulted with several surgeons here willing to do the surgery and we were able to show that they were not experienced with enough recent cases nor had experience with the most current techniques.

 We were persistent in our request and after many letters and supporting documents our insurance provider allowed our claim.

Due to the rareness of the surgery it may be possible for you to show that surgeons in your state are not specialized enough in the specific surgery.

  I would encourage you not to give up!!