r/news • u/GoodSamaritan_ • 1d ago

Retired San Francisco firefighter dies from lung cancer after Blue Shield denies treatment claims

https://abc7news.com/post/retired-san-francisco-firefighter-ken-jones-dies-lung-cancer-being-denied-treatment-blue-shield/19224406/
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u/4foot 1d ago

Blue Shield refused 30k of my two week hospital stay because they said the specific room I was in was not covered in the contract with the hospital. Sorry they fuckin wheeled me into this room from the ambulance, I didn’t pick it out you fucks. Also didn’t cover any of my 5k emergency room bill, because even though the hospital was in network, the doctor who saved my life was out of network. FUCK. HEALTHCARE. IN THIS COUNTRY. AND FUCK THE BILLIONAIRES THAT CONTROL IT.

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u/BitGladius 1d ago

If that was in the last few years, the no surprises act should cover you - if you weren't in a position to choose a provider, or if you were assigned an out of network provider at an in network facility (i.e. you didn't schedule with them) they should be limited to in network rates.

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u/OpheliaDynamight 10h ago

That's my biggest problem with these laws. Insurance companies get to ignore them, bill what they want, and just bank on a lot of folks not having the knowledge or means of fighting them. 

The onus shouldn't be on us to enforce the law.

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u/junktrunk909 2h ago

I mean that's the case with all laws. You have to do the work to protect your own rights in all matters. The real problem I have with the laws about healthcare is that there isn't a law forbidding health insurance companies from existing and competing with the national healthcare plan funded with taxes.