Blue Cross and Blue Shield denied payment for the proton therapy Robert “Skeeter” Salim’s doctor ordered to fight his throat cancer. But he was no ordinary patient. He was a celebrated litigator. And he was ready to fight.

  • @xkforce
    link
    651 year ago

    Oh look its the death panels the republicans assured us didnt exist in the current healthcare system

    • @MacGuffin94
      link
      131 year ago

      The premium for the non death panel plan are much higher

      • @Alexstarfire
        link
        61 year ago

        Yep. Called “out of pocket” in case anyone is in the market.

    • HubertManne
      link
      fedilink
      71 year ago

      yep. in the us if you are a top trial lawyer you can have rights akin to europeans.

  • @cogman
    link
    571 year ago

    The reason Blue Cross took this case all the way to court is simple, to send a message to anyone else denied “be prepared to spend millions fighting us, oh and you still have cancer so you’ll likely die soon”.

    • stopthatgirl7OP
      link
      fedilink
      271 year ago

      I’m sure they figured since he was stage 4, he’d die and they wouldn’t have to deal with it anymore. The lawsuit was probably just stalling for time along with the message.

  • m-p{3}
    link
    fedilink
    281 year ago

    It’s a win, but it feels so small when you think of all these other patients before him who could have been cured or lived longer with fewer side-effects in the dystopian hellhole that is the US health insurance ecosystem.

  • [email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    241 year ago

    That’s good for them, but makes you wonder just how many people get refused but lack the resources to fight this or end up settling or forgoing care.
    That’s sad

    • snooggums
      link
      fedilink
      151 year ago

      We already knew it was thousands of people being denied cancer treatment before Obama care, and clearly the number still isn’t down to zero.