Medicaid had refused to pay for Briana's surgery after it decided she did not meet the insurance programme's disability criteria.

BBC: NEWS | Health | "I lived without part of my skull"

Briana, who is unemployed, blames the delay in her surgery to bureaucratic red tape between the University of Utah Health Sciences Center and Medicaid.

BBC: NEWS | Health | "I lived without part of my skull"

It is still not clear who will pay for Briana's operation.

BBC: NEWS | Health | "I lived without part of my skull"

CNN's Carol Cratty, Briana Keilar, Brian Todd, Bob Kovach, John King, Barbara Starr, Deirdre Walsh, Rafael Romo, Jessica Yellin and Tom Cohen contributed to this report.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS