70-Year-Old Runner Hospitalized After Insurer Delays Lifesaving Immunodeficiency Drug
By
Samantha Liss, KFF Health News
Summary
Margaret Hvatum, a 70-year-old part-time computer science professor with a weakened immune system, ran an extraordinary series of races (5K, 10K, half-marathon, and full marathon over four consecutive days) in January, only to end up hospitalized later that month. Despite insurers publicly vowing to help patients access lifesaving immunodeficiency drugs, Hvatum struggled to obtain her critical weekly medication for primary immunodeficiency, missing several doses. The article examines the gap between insurance company promises and the real-world challenges patients face in accessing prescribed treatments.
Source
bsky70-Year-Old Runner Hospitalized After Insurer Delays Lifesaving Immunodeficiency Drugmedpagetoday.comKey quotes
· 4 pulledOver 4 consecutive days in January, Margaret Hvatum ran a 5K, a 10K, a half-marathon, and a full marathon.
The 70-year-old covered a combined distance that's nearly equivalent to running the length of Manhattan four times.
By the end of the month, she was in a hospital bed.
Hvatum, a part-time computer science professor, has a weakened immune system
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