"It came up so quickly. Yesterday, we were at the UCSF infusion center ready to get this treatment that we have been waiting for, a while for, and his doctor realized that at that time, the treatment wasn't approved. Today, we should be home recovering, building strength for the next treatment, and we are doing this,"
"Today I'm forced to stand here and beg because an insurance company decided that profits matter more than the life of a man who spent his career protecting this city,"
"We want to get answers on whether this practice that we are seeing represents a change or something new that is a diminution of service from Blue Shield of California, because that is not what we signed up for," Dorsey said. "I don't think that's what this board signed up for when we made the decision on the basis of the RFP process. I lost my own mother to lung cancer, and she raised a son who was going to fight, to make sure that people get this care that they're entitled to."
Ken Jones, a retired San Francisco firefighter of 17 years, was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic lung cancer in 2025 and faced a sudden denial of treatment approval by Blue Shield. Jones and his wife Helen Horvath experienced an abrupt cancellation at the UCSF infusion center when the doctor discovered the treatment lacked insurer approval, delaying critical therapy and recovery. Family members and colleagues appealed to the City and County Health Service Board, which had approved Blue Shield coverage, asking the insurer to reverse the denial. Supervisor Matt Dorsey and a board commissioner pledged to question Blue Shield about possible service reductions and seek answers.
Read at ABC7 San Francisco
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