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Uncovered

How the Insurance Industry Denies Coverage to Patients

Health insurers reject millions of claims for treatment every year in America. Corporate insiders, recordings and internal emails expose the system and its harm.

Impact of Our Reporting
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Uncovered

Michigan Lawmaker Introduces Bill Requiring State Health Plans to Cover Cutting-Edge Cancer Treatments

After ProPublica reported on a Michigan insurer that wouldn’t cover a cancer patient’s last-chance treatment, a state lawmaker introduced a measure compelling health plans to cover a new generation of advanced cancer therapies.

by Robin Fields and Maya Miller,

Uncovered

Health Plans Can’t Dodge Paying for Expensive New Cancer Treatments, Says Michigan’s Top Insurance Regulator

After ProPublica reported on a health insurer that refused to cover the only medicine that could save a cancer patient’s life, Michigan insurance regulators clarified that, by law, many plans must pay for any clinically proven treatments.

by Robin Fields and Maya Miller,

Uncovered

Congressional Committee, Regulators Question Cigna System That Lets Its Doctors Deny Claims Without Reading Patient Files

The probes follow an investigation by ProPublica and The Capitol Forum that Cigna allows its doctors to reject hundreds of thousands of claims a month.

by Patrick Rucker, The Capitol Forum, and Maya Miller and David Armstrong, ProPublica,

17 stories published since 2022

“Slow Pay, Low Pay or No Pay”

by T. Christian Miller,

“Not Medically Necessary”: Inside the Company Helping America’s Biggest Health Insurers Deny Coverage for Care

by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica; Patrick Rucker, The Capitol Forum; and David Armstrong, ProPublica,

A Doctor at Cigna Said Her Bosses Pressured Her to Review Patients’ Cases Too Quickly. Cigna Threatened to Fire Her.

by Patrick Rucker, The Capitol Forum, and David Armstrong, ProPublica,

After Promising to Make Government Health Care Data More Accessible, the Biden Administration Now Wants to Clamp Down

by T. Christian Miller,

Doctors With Histories of Big Malpractice Settlements Work for Insurers, Deciding If They’ll Pay for Care

by Patrick Rucker, The Capitol Forum, and David Armstrong and Doris Burke, ProPublica,

Health Insurers Have Been Breaking State Laws for Years

by Maya Miller and Robin Fields,

Insurance Executives Refused to Pay for the Cancer Treatment That Could Have Saved Him. This Is How They Did It.

by Maya Miller and Robin Fields,

You Have a Right to Know Why a Health Insurer Denied Your Claim. Some Insurers Still Won’t Tell You.

by Maya Miller, with additional reporting by Ash Ngu,

Find Out Why Your Health Insurer Denied Your Claim

by Ash Ngu and Maya Miller,

Big Insurance Met Its Match When It Turned Down a Top Trial Lawyer’s Request for Cancer Treatment

by T. Christian Miller,

I Set Out to Create a Simple Map for How to Appeal Your Insurance Denial. Instead, I Found a Mind-Boggling Labyrinth.

by Cheryl Clark for ProPublica,

How Often Do Health Insurers Say No to Patients? No One Knows.

by Robin Fields,

Health Insurance Claim Denied? See What Insurers Said Behind the Scenes

by Maya Miller, ProPublica, with additional reporting by Patrick Rucker, The Capitol Forum, and David Armstrong, ProPublica,

ProPublica and The Capitol Forum Win April Sidney Award

ProPublica,

How Cigna Saves Millions by Having Its Doctors Reject Claims Without Reading Them

by Patrick Rucker, The Capitol Forum, and Maya Miller and David Armstrong, ProPublica,

UnitedHealthcare Tried to Deny Coverage to a Chronically Ill Patient. He Fought Back, Exposing the Insurer’s Inner Workings.

by David Armstrong, ProPublica; Patrick Rucker, The Capitol Forum; and Maya Miller, ProPublica,

Do You Have Insights Into Dental and Health Insurance Denials? Help Us Report on the System.

by David Armstrong, Patrick Rucker and Maya Miller,

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

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Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

Photo of Melissa Sanchez
Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

Photo of Jesse Coburn
Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.

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