Battle with Insurance: A Cancer Patient's Struggle

Being in the middle of chemotherapy and having to fight your insurance company to get the medicine you need. That's what happened to Arete Tsoukalas, a 26-year-old law student from Indiana. After being diagnosed with leukemia, she found out her insurance required a $13, 000 monthly copay for her treatment. This was way too expensive for her as a recent college graduate. She went without the medication for three months until she finally got help from the drug manufacturer. “It's a cruel system, ” Tsoukalas said. “People are at their weakest when they need help the most, and the system just kicks them down further. ” She's not alone. Many Americans face similar struggles with health insurance. A recent survey by KFF found that most insured US adults have had at least one problem with their health insurance in a year. This includes having claims denied or receiving unexpected medical bills. Isaac Rosenbloom, a 43-year-old paramedic from Colorado, can't get an MRI to check for possible lung cancer because his insurer won't approve it. He's worried he might have to wait until he's really sick before the insurance company takes it seriously. Melanie Duquette, a 70-year-old nurse from Massachusetts, had to pay a $14, 000 bill after her insurer stopped paying for her rehab stay. She stayed longer because she needed help, and now she might have to declare bankruptcy. All these people paid high premiums and out-of-pocket costs, but still faced denials and unexpected bills. It's a complicated system that leaves many people frustrated and angry.