‘They delayed, they denied’: How insurance errors endanger California patients

‘They delayed, they denied’: How insurance errors endanger California patients

Mary Kuhn went to the emergency room at John Muir Medical Center because it felt like she was having a heart attack. Her chest and jaw hurt. Her tongue was numb. Instead of confirming a heart attack, testing later ordered…

‘Ghost networks’: How insurance errors endanger California patients

By Kristen Hwang, CalMatters Mary Kuhn at her home in Lafayette on Oct. 10, 2025. Kuhn had urgent surgery delayed and denied by Blue Shield of California for over half a year before finally getting it approved in June of 2025. (Jungho Kim for CalMatters)  Mary Kuhn went to the emergency room at John Muir Medical Center because it felt like she was having a heart attack. Her chest and jaw hurt. Her tongue was numb. Instead of confirming a heart a…

Insurance “Ghost Network” Errors Delay Care in California

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Mary Kuhn went to the emergency room at John Muir Medical Center because it felt like she was having a heart attack. Her chest and jaw hurt. Her tongue was numb. Instead of confirming a heart attack, testing later ordered by a cardiologist revealed a shocking diagnosis. Kuhn had a massive hiatal hernia that required surgery. Her entire stomach had pushed into her c…