Laurie Todd calls herself the "Insurance Warrior." She helps people get their health insurance companies to pay for treatment and has written books sharing her knowledge.
This podcast was published on Tuesday, November 2, 2021 in Kaiser Health News. Click here to listen.
Healthcare — and how much it costs — is scary. But you're not alone with this stuff, and knowledge is power. "An Arm and a Leg" is a podcast about these issues, and its second season is co-produced by KHN.
Laurie Todd calls herself the "Insurance Warrior." She helps people get their health insurance companies to pay for treatment and has written books sharing her knowledge.
Hers is a wealth of knowledge that was hard-won. In 2005, Todd was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Although she found a doctor who could treat it, her health insurance said it wouldn't be covered. But Todd didn't accept that refusal and got her insurance company to pay for a lifesaving surgery.
Over the next 15 years, Todd honed her insurance-slaying powers. She has fought — and won — more than 200 insurance appeals on behalf of patients, she said.
Listen to the episode to hear some of her time-tested strategies.
Here's a transcript of the episode.
"An Arm and a Leg" is a co-production of KHN and Public Road Productions.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
In 2005, Laurie Todd was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Although she found a doctor who could treat it, her health insurance said it wouldn't be covered.
But Todd didn't accept that refusal and got her insurance company to pay for a lifesaving surgery.
Over the next 15 years, Todd honed her insurance-slaying powers. She has fought — and won — more than 200 insurance appeals on behalf of patients.