Apr 7, 2008 11:07 pm US/Eastern
Cancer Patient's Insurance Approves Transplant
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
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Two years ago, Bill Wangler was diagnosed with lymphoma.
KDKA
Everyday is a battle for Bill Wangler.
Two years ago, he was diagnosed with lymphoma. Doctors at West Penn Hospital believe the only thing that can save his life is a high dose of chemotherapy, maybe some radiation and then a stem cell transplant to rejuvenate his blood.
However, to this point, his insurance provider, Health America, denied his doctors' requests for the stem cell transplant, calling it experimental until now.
"We're important, we matter and we want people in these insurance companies and whatever to know that we matter and we're gonna fight for what we know is right," Paula Wangler, Bill's wife, said.
After multiple appeal letters from doctors and denial of benefit letters in return, Health America reversed course and agreed to pay for the procedure.
"You know there are other people in similar circumstances facing life and death situations, where they do not have an attorney, a representative, a news station in their corner fighting for them," Regis McClelland, the family's attorney, said.
For Bill, there's new hope with a transplant doctors believe will save his life and a wife convinced he will survive.
"He has a very strong fighting chance now and you know he'll go through whatever chemo and radiation he has to in order to lead up to this transplant that is much needed and the doctor says it's the only alternative to save his life," she said.
Wangler's expected to have the transplant in the next few weeks. It costs several hundred thousand dollars.
Health America released a statement saying, "Privacy laws prohibit the company from discussing specific cases." However, decisions are based on "generally accepted, clinical guidelines, peer reviewed medical literature and results of clinical trials."
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