Posted on 04/10/2026 11:45:02 AM PDT by DFG
It didn’t matter that Eric Tennant’s oncologist had recommended the medication to shrink his tumors.
The patient’s health insurance allegedly stood in the way — until it was too late.
In early 2025, after more than two years of chemotherapy that hollowed him out from the inside, the frail 58-year-old was deemed a good candidate for histotripsy, a new treatment that could target the tumors in his liver with ultrasound waves instead of surgery.
Tennant’s wife, Rebecca, had heard of histotripsy and brought the idea to her husband’s doctor. There was a relatively narrow window in which he could receive the treatment, and his medical team was ready to start.
But suddenly Tennant’s doctors were handicapped: His insurance had denied the request, noting in the paperwork that the potentially life-saving treatment was “not medically necessary,” per NBC News and KFF Health News.
Multiple rounds of appeals were unsuccessful. Out-of-pocket costs for the Tennant family — which included Eric, his wife and their two grown children — would have been around $50,000.
Tennant, a mining safety instructor from Bridgeport, West Virginia, was put on hospice last year and died in September.
“He wasn’t afraid to die, but he didn’t want to die,” Rebecca told KFF. “And you could tell the last day that he was fighting it big time.”
Tennant had been diagnosed with stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer that attacked his bile ducts before spreading to other parts of his body. By the time Rebecca discovered histotripsy, his largest tumor was in his liver.
It was unlikely that the proposed treatment would have sent Tennant into full remission, but the family believed it could have bought him some more time.
This tragic turn of events is not uncommon.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Was gonna ask the same thing
The denial problem stems from the way health and auto insurance is typically sold - with fixed dollar premiums.
It incentivizes the insurance company to fight for every dollar, which can head directly to its bottom line.
Insureds as a group should if practical bear all of the financial risk, so insurance companies don’t profit from jerking insureds and providers around.
Insurance should have an issue fee [~$100], a potentially refundable issue margin reserve charge [~$100], a monthly profit allocation [~$20], and an offer premium.
As the months go by, a $520/month health insurance offer premium would typically be adjusted by a higher-than-expected payout charge, or a lower-than-expected payout credit.
For January, you might pay $740.
For February, you might pay $540.
For March, you might pay $540.
For April, you might pay $532.
For May, you might pay $545.
....
For December, you might pay $557.
For healthcare insurance, when healthcare claims have almost all been settled, in say May of the following year, you might get a refund of the remaining issue margin reserve charge in the amount of perhaps $56.
For auto insurance, the refund of the remaining issue margin reserve charge might take years to arrive.
For health care, bring on market force:
1. Break most hospitals into two highly competitive entities.
2. Convert other hospitals into real estate leasing entities with competing surgical suites and nursing wings.
3. Separate out drug coverage so hospital systems can run care coverage systems and cut out insurance company overhead and meddlers.
4. Create interstate drug plans that don’t have to pay what the drugmaker wants for every drug. To qualify for exchange listing and federal subsidies, they would have to most (~80% or more) in all important types (large volume recombinant, small volume recombinant, breakthroughs under patent, etc.). Group and exchange plans to offer time-limited vouchers at plan set amounts for out-of-formulary drugs. Voucher plans would have variable premiums. Plans without minimums (or vouchers) could be vended directly to individuals and families.
5. These plans would be all the doctors prescribe for formulary drugs with co-pays equal to manufacturing cost.
6. Reform medical education, breaking down medicine and dentistry into simpler chunks and start it in the first year of college.
This is EXACTLY why people despise insurance companies. You pay shit tons of money for years and years, and they deny coverage.
They do say, It’s in the article. It’s a Westst Virginia employees insurance, back by United Health care.
Thank you!
the insurance companies appear to be practicing medicine without a license
The food and med changes at breakfast are:
A bowl of 1.5 cups of rice chex and a cup of 2% LactAid milk.
I had to ditch the full fat LactAid milk. Could not digest that much fat.
That starts each day and has been very stable in my gut. The consequence is I have been able to finally gain some weight. From a minimum of 131 in Dec 2025, I've made it to 143 today. Muscle Defense is helping that weight move more in the direction of muscle than fat.
Have they suggested Creon (or there is another enzyme). My wife started it 5 years out from the Whipple and wished she started sooner. It makes the digestive process much more consistent.
Just something to think about when you are pretty much “renting” your dinner every day.
That’s good. The whole digestive tract is a pain in the butt!
And yeah, we stopped buying “real” milk a while ago. She has her lactose free stuff. I still have cream for my coffee. There are some battles I win. Ha ha.
“Tumor Infilrating Lymphocytes”
Our courier company picks up and delivers these. Seems to be working for all who take part.
Prayers for you friend
Who ever made that decision is guilty of premeditated murder.
That’s odd. I had UH with no issues that I can recall.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.