Insurance Companies are the big money grabbers.  Traci Hurley says watching her husband battle cancer in late 2021 was harrowing. "It was heartbreaking, and it was awful," she said. "I lived in fear every day."  

     A battle made worse, she says, because so many of the skirmishes were with their insurance company. "No family should have to go through having to fight to get treatment recommended by their physician covered, while fighting for their lives," she said.  Millions of Americans say they are struggling to get medical care: either unable to pay sky-high deductibles, or, like Dan Hurley, denied coverage for tests and treatment by health insurance companies. Not only were both the Hurleys doctors; Dan, an ear, nose and throat surgeon, was also skilled in cutting through insurance red tape for his patients. 

     "And yet, we still ran into issues a lot," Traci said. "If we, as two physicians, had to struggle the amount that we had to struggle to get care approved, what about people who do not have medical knowledge? What's happening to them every day?"  Dan was an avid hiker, until a nagging backache turned out to be cancer. He was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma, an ultra-rare bone tumor. To try to save his life, the tumor, along with Dan's hip, had to be removed. Insurance only covered a portion of the costs.  

     Traci said, "Many of his treatments were denied. We had PET scans, we had CT scans denied. We had chemotherapy, we had radiation, we had certain medications that required prior-authorization, and were denied."  The basis for the insurers' denials, Traci said, was that they were "not medically indicated."