US Edition‘Not accountable to anyone’: As insurers issue denials, some patients run out of options
- Eric Tennant, a West Virginia state employee, was diagnosed in 2023 with stage 4 bile duct cancer that spread to his bones and has grown despite chemotherapy.
- His insurer denied coverage for histotripsy, a $50,000 tumor-destroying procedure recommended by his oncologist, citing it was not medically necessary despite the family's multiple appeals.
- Rebecca Tennant described the appeals process as disorganized and frustrating, with her husband’s care caught in a cycle of back-and-forth between the insurance company and medical reviewers as his condition worsened.
- In April, she expressed profound frustration with the insurer, stating that despite being aware of her husband's advanced cancer diagnosis, they seem indifferent to whether he survives.
- As of June 2025, Eric Tennant is no longer a viable candidate for histotripsy, illustrating systemic challenges patients face amid insurance denials and treatment delays.
14 Articles
14 Articles
'Not Accountable To Anyone'
Early this year, Eric Tennant’s oncologist agreed he was a good candidate for a new, FDA-approved treatment since the largest tumor in his body is in his liver. But that’s when his family began fighting another adversary: their health insurer, which decided the treatment was “not medically necessary,” according to insurance paperwork.
'Not accountable to anyone': Patients outraged as there's been no reform following CEO killing
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — By the time Eric Tennant was diagnosed in 2023 with a rare cancer of the bile ducts, the disease had spread to his bones. He weighed 97 pounds and wasn’t expected to survive a year with stage 4 cancer.Two years later, grueling rounds of chemotherapy have slowed the cancer’s progress, even as it has continued to spread. But chemotherapy has also ravaged Tennant’s body and his quality of life.Recently, however, the 58-year-old …
‘Not accountable to anyone’: As insurers issue denials, some patients run out of options
By the time Eric Tennant was diagnosed in 2023 with a rare cancer of the bile ducts, the disease had spread to his bones. He weighed 97 pounds and wasn't expected to survive a year with stage 4 cancer.
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