I thought this was right up there with “man bites dog”:
Arijit Guha, an Arizona State University graduate student, returned from a trip to India with a stomach ache and only one month later learned he had Stage IV colon cancer.
As tough as his diagnosis was at the age of 30, learning that his insurance company would place restrictions on paying for his cancer treatments was almost as gut-wrenching.
Guha had a policy under the university’s health plan for which he paid $400 a month out of pocket, but its carrier, Aetna, had an annual ceiling on pay-outs. After surgery and chemotherapy, he had exhausted the lifetime $300,000 limit.
The Affordable Healthcare Act has eliminated lifetime limits, but until Aug. 1 that did not include student health plans, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Outraged, Guha turned to Twitter and other social media to make his case, one that affects millions of Americans who face staggering medical bills.
But last week, Aetna CEO Mark T. Bertolini, a former paramedic who has had his own share of medical crises, tweeted directly with Guha and agreed to pay “every last penny” of his bills.
“The system is broken, and I am committed to fixing it,” said Bertolini on his Twitter account, according to the Arizona Republic, which first covered the story. “I am glad we connected today and got this issue solved. I appreciate the dialogue no matter how pointed. I’ve got it and own it!”
Guha, now 31, told ABCNews.com, “I am incredibly pleased and in shell shock and trying to figure out what just happened. It’s a huge relief.”
