NBC News investigates health insurance companies denying cancer patients coverage for potentially life-saving treatments. South Korea’s interim president is impeached just two weeks after the ouster of the country’s former leader. And a small Tennessee town is still in recovery mode after Hurricane Helene.
When insurance companies deny cancer care to patients Tracy Pike, a Stage 4 stomach cancer patient, was advised by his doctor to undergo a routine treatment combining surgery and intensive chemotherapy. However, the night before his first procedure, he was informed that his insurance company declined to cover the roughly $40,000 treatment, deeming it “not medically necessary.” His wife, Angie, stated that the final straw came when she learned that one of the insurer’s physicians who had rejected the treatment was not a cancer doctor at all; he was an obstetrician-gynecologist. Tracy Pike passed away in January 2024, leaving behind his wife of 22 years and their three children. An NBC News investigation revealed that a cancer diagnosis, already a devastating experience for patients, is often exacerbated by insurance companies denying treatments and screenings recommended by their physicians. According to the head of the American Medical Association, this issue is worsening. Insurance companies argue that requiring doctors to justify their recommended treatments saves money. However, physicians contend that industry practices delay or outright prevent patient care, leaving families to navigate bureaucratic hurdles and appeal denials during what could be their relative’s final days.