Re: Retired San Francisco firefighter dies from lung cancer after Blue Shield denies treatment claims

On 2026-06-04, useapen <[email protected]> wrote:
> SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The retired San Francisco firefighter at the
> center of a bitter insurance fight has lost his battle against cancer. 
>
> Ken Jones passed away Saturday, 14 months after being diagnosed with
> stage four lung cancer. 
>
> PREVIOUS REPORT: City asked to intervene after SF firefighter's stage 4
> lung cancer treatment denied by Blue Shield 
>
> We first told you about Jones in January -- when the 17-year veteran and
> supporters asked the City Commission for help. 
>
> The Fire Department's insurance carrier, Blue Shield, denied coverage
> for some of his recommended treatments. 
>
> Ken Jones was 70 years old.
>
> RELATED: SF firefighters rally for retiree denied cancer treatment by
> Blue Shield as more come forward 
>
> "After we got some publicity, thank you, a Blue Shield physician reached
> out to Ken's physician, and they worked out a different plan that Blue
> Shield would cover. It's still an incomplete plan," said Helen Horvath,
> Jones' wife when ABC7 Eyewitness News spoke to her in January, 2026. 
>
> Since then, Jones' story has led to an investigation into other cases,
> with the city's mayor vowing to support firefighters. 
>
> According to San Francisco's Health Service Board, about 5,000 city
> employees and retirees are insured by Blue Shield. Now, city leaders are
> asking anyone who has been denied cancer treatment to speak up. 
>
> Tony Stefani with the Cancer Prevention Foundation said firefighters
> with a cancer diagnosis have a 14% higher chance of dying than other
> cancer patients in the general population. 
>
> "Current statistics tell us that 65% of the men and women in our
> profession are going to contract some form of cancer in their lifetime.
> Some of them will be fatal," Stefani said. 
>
> In a Statement Blue Shield said, in part: "For Medicare members, health
> plans must follow medical policy established by the Centers for Medicare
> and Medicaid Services (CMS)." 
>
> https://abc7news.com/post/retired-san-francisco-firefighter-ken-jones-die
> s-lung-cancer-being-denied-treatment-blue-shield/19224406/ 

Things like this should never happen in the USA or any civilized country.
But yet they do.
Something needs to change.

-- 
pothead

"Often imitated, never duplicated."

"Socialism is the philosophy of failure,
the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.
It's inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."

-- Winston Churchill