"Mayor Daniel Lurie joined San Francisco firefighters and other elected officials on the steps of City Hall on Friday to demand that Blue Shield of California cover cancer treatment that has been denied to retired firefighter Ken Jones, a 17-year veteran of the force. "You all always have our back, and we're always going to have your back, especially when it comes to your health care," Lurie told the crowd of over 50 people, including many firefighters and health practitioners."
"Jones was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer about a year ago. In early December, his doctor - a leading oncologist at UCSF - recommended a new treatment. But his insurance company, Blue Shield, denied the request, claiming that the plan did not meet standard oncology guidelines, according to Helen Horvath, Jones' wife. Jones, whose health has deteriorated and who was undergoing treatment, was not at the rally."
Mayor Daniel Lurie joined San Francisco firefighters and elected officials on the steps of City Hall to demand Blue Shield of California cover cancer treatment denied to retired firefighter Ken Jones. Jones, a 17-year veteran, was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer about a year ago. In early December a leading UCSF oncologist recommended a new treatment, which Blue Shield denied, claiming the plan did not meet standard oncology guidelines, according to Jones's wife, Helen Horvath. Supervisor Matt Dorsey said three other firefighters faced similar denials or delays. The city switched some public-worker coverage from UnitedHealthcare to Blue Shield last year, affecting 5,000 employees and retirees. Blue Shield later approved a different treatment on Jan. 9 that does not include immunotherapy, Horvath said.
#cancer-treatment-denial #blue-shield-of-california #san-francisco-firefighters #public-employee-health-insurance
Read at Mission Local
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]