Denial of coverage steals a chance to live
I understand that corporations, including insurance corporations, have a responsibility to their shareholders. That does not give them the right to make medical decisions that contribute to a patient's demise. Cigna effectively did that in the case of Nataline Sarkisyan, the California teen who was denied coverage for a liver transplant by Cigna Healthcare.
The insurer was not there by her bedside to make an adequate assessment. Insurers simply have medical directors sitting at desks, rubber-stamping denials for critical patient care. Their subscribers rely on them to approve coverage for medical treatment requested on their behalf by qualified physicians, yet it's so simple to deny coverage if you remove yourself from any emotional attachment to those vulnerable patients.
We have no way to know if the transplant would have given this critically ill teen another chance. Of course, by the time Cigna reversed its decision, Nataline Sarkisyan had absolutely no chance of survival.
The insurance industry has contributed to a very sick health care system in our country. This case is a tragedy. As Cigna Healthcare reaps the benefits of its bottom line, I hope that its employees are ashamed of this decision.
Rita T. White
Greensboro