US lawmakers eye health insurance reform as frustrations mount

[bmichaelh]

15. Meaningful insurance reform would be...

Meaningful reform would mean removing decision on potential life saving treatments from the insurers.

But I doubt Congress would do that.

I experienced the denial of coverage, firsthand.

I was diagnosed with lymphoma in 1990; it returned in 2019.
I went through four unsuccessful treatments.
In my case, with each return, the lymphoma gets more aggressive and resistant to prior therapies.
The fifth treatment was initially approved; showed promise that the other 4 treatments did not.
My insurer tried to rescind approval for further treatments with some BS justification: '...eligible for stem cell transplant'
My provider successfully appealed; I was able to continue treatments and achieve remission.

The person who rescinded approval of my treatment was not an oncologist but a pediatrician.
And he or she was not making the decision based on medical evidence but some insurer regulation.
Why a pediatrician is making a decision about my cancer treatment is wrong.
Another problem with insurers is that they are bureaucratic.
My treatment had only been approved by the FDA in 2020; a year before I began treatment.
Were they denying treatment simply because it was new?