At 36, Elizabeth Nicholas was diagnosed with breast cancer. After her insurance company refused to pay for a new form of chemotherapy, she took a direct approach. As Luigi Mangione’s trial brings the conflict to the fore, the writer considers the realities of the American health care system.
In the summer of 2024, my oncologist called to tell me bad news. The news came from my insurance company. "They won't pay," she says. Last October, I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 36. Throughout the treatment, the news got worse: cancer had spread [...]