Recently, the state Supreme Court affirmed a $91 million fine against
UnitedHealthcare, scoring a major victory for California patients who were
wrongfully denied access to care by the insurance giant. The scale of
violations by the insurer — topping more than 900,000 improper denials —
demonstrates the power imbalance between patients and insurers.
While I was not one of the 900,000 denials, I
learned firsthand how daunting a fight with an insurer can be when I was
diagnosed with breast cancer at age 21. I assumed my health-care insurer would
approve my physician-recommended care. I was wrong. Now, I’m joining others and
calling on Congress to hold insurers accountable for providing cancer patients
access to the treatments they need.
My experience ended well, but my journey shows
what’s wrong with a system where broken insurance processes make it nearly
impossible for cancer patients to receive the best care. While cancer
interrupted my senior year of college at UC Santa Barbara, my insurer’s actions
caused me the most stress. I eyed treatment bills for thousands of dollars and
was terrified of the financial burden this could put on my family.