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

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/