As patients 'get sicker while they wait,' doctors fight insurance delays

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MARYSVILLE — When doctors diagnosed Robin Sparks with cancer two years ago, they needed to act fast.

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Sparks, of Marysville, spent weeks wading through tests and appointments to get her diagnosis. Three months into her six-month chemotherapy treatment, Sparks’ doctors wanted to check her progress. But her insurance company, Ambetter, repeatedly denied a CT scan request.

“The reason was that it was ‘just not necessary,’” said Sparks, 61. “Well, I think it was pretty darn necessary to know if my targeted treatment was working or not.”

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Patients “can get sicker while they wait days, weeks or even months in many cases for approval of routine treatments,” DelBene, D-Medina, said Tuesday. “We’ve also seen patients just abandon care because they aren’t sure if they’re ever going to hear if it’s covered.”

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/as-patients-get-sicker-while-they-wait-doctors-fight-insurance-delays/