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A man fighting for his life as he battles stage 4 cancer is asking for donations after his health insurance denied him a life-saving lung transplant.
Deron Wells, 59, is battling advanced lung cancer and his doctors have approved him for a double transplant, a procedure that his loved ones have described as his “only path to survival.” However, Cigna Healthcare, his health insurer, has refused to authorize the transplant and the emergency medical transport needed to get him to the hospital for the operation.
He needs to be transferred to Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital for the operation. Wells was preparing to be moved from UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center on Friday, but Cigna denied coverage for the procedure and the transfer, ABC7 reported.
"I am really sad that my life is in the hands of these decision-makers who seem to make these decisions in such a cold way," Wells told the outlet.
The father and husband may not survive without immediate intervention, his family says.
"The last option we have is for us to take him to Northwestern, period. I hope Cigna really understands the seriousness of the situation. We're not just a number. We are talking about his life," Janet Savarimuthu, his wife, told the outlet.
The Independent has reached out to Cigna for comment.
The insurer told ABC7 in a statement: "Our coverage guidelines are grounded in national clinical standards to help ensure the best possible outcomes for patients.”
Cigna has a 21 percent claim denial rate, according to Value Penguin.
The GoFundMe page has garnered $41,000 as of Friday afternoon. The organizer, his friend Scott Kern, is hoping to raise $1.5 million to cover the costs of the procedure, the emergency air transport, post-surgery recovery, and temporary relocation for his family.
"Deron deserves this chance that we're fighting so hard to make sure that he gets," Kern told the outlet.
Wells is pleading for the insurer to change course since he has much more to live for, telling the outlet: "I'm truly hoping that Cigna will change its tune and will have a positive outlook on this because I'm not done yet.”
