• 07
  • September
    2010

On Sunday September 5, 2010, Kyler VanNocker lost his battle with cancer.  Please click here to read the full article. 

Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the VanNocker family and all of those who knew and loved Kyler. 

Attorney David Senoff of our Philadelphia office represented the VanNocker family in a lawsuit against HealthAmerica who refused to pay for experimental treatment for Kyler.  The case gained national attention for its timeliness during a heated healthcare debate in early spring. 

After HealthAmerica denied coverage for Kyler's MIBG treatment, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia submitted the bill to New Jersey Medicaid, since Kyler was a New Jersey resident.  While they didn't have much hope that Medicaid would pay, since they are the insurer of "last resort" and are only supposed to pay "excess" charges, no one held out much hope for payment.  Medicaid paid and then the Hospital agreed to "write-off" the remaining charges. 

But the fact is, we were fortunate that New Jersey Medicaid and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia were willing to do the right thing.  It doesn't change the fact that, for most families, the system is still broken.  Insurance companies still have the power to interfere with medical decisions that should be made between doctors and patients.