GOOD NEWS: ‘In A Very Bad Situation a neighbour remembers discovering areWoll fatally …
Kevin Mull (Image: WXYZ video screen grab)
Kevin Mull, a neighbour of deceased Detroit synagogue President Sam Woll, testified on Tuesday about the discovery of her death early on October 21, a Saturday.
According to the Detroit News, Mull, who was out for a walk with a friend’s dog at about 6:30 a.m., testified in Detroit 36th District Court that he saw her barefoot and in a foetal position on the ground in the Lafayette Park neighbourhood. She had blue skin.
“I wasn’t even sure it was a body at first,” stated the man. “As I approached to see if that person was in need of assistance, then I realised that the person was in a very bad situation and decided I needed to go for help.”
Charged with stabbing Woll, 40, to death, is 28-year-old Michael Jackson-Bolanos.
According to police testimony, Woll last texted on Saturday at 1:02 a.m., just 30 minutes after ADT Security sensors indicated she had arrived home after a Friday night wedding. There was an open front door at one in the morning, they stated.
Authorities claim to have a North Face jacket that they think belonged to Woll and contains his blood.
According to WXYZ, Michigan State Trooper Elizabeth Stockmire testified that the suspect was wearing a North Face jacket the night of the murder.
According to FBI Special Agent Bryan Toltzis’ testimony, Jackson-Bolanos was in the vicinity of Woll’s residence on October 21 between 3:50 a.m. until 4:20 a.m., according to the News.
The defense’s Brian Brown drew attention to the fact that neither Woll’s flat nor his client’s fingerprints bore evidence of having been at the murder scene.
According to Michigan’s Chief Insurance Regulator, Health Plans Cannot Avoid Paying For Expensive New Cancer Treatments
Michigan insurance regulators stated that many plans are required by law to pay for any scientifically proven therapy after ProPublica revealed that a health insurer had refused to cover the sole medication that may save the life of a cancer patient.
In collaboration with Scripps News, this article debuted on January 9 in ProPublica.
By Maya Miller and Robin Fields
2020 saw Forrest Van Patten’s passing. (Obit image)
The state’s top insurance regulator informed health plans on Monday that they cannot refuse coverage for scientifically established cancer treatments—and she made it plain for the first time that this includes cutting-edge genetic and biologic therapies—a triumph for a great number of Michigan cancer patients.
After ProPublica revealed in November that an insurer there had declined to cover the only treatment that could have saved the life of Forrest VanPatten, a 50-year-old father of two, the move came after weeks of inquiries from the news organisation and pressure from state lawmakers. The reason for the insurer’s refusal was that the state law required them to pay for proven cancer drugs.
Executives at Priority Health, Michigan’s second-largest insurance, said in internal emails seen by ProPublica that Van Patten’s costly treatment was a gene therapy rather than a medication, negating the need for the state’s requirement. VanPatten, who was still campaigning for access to care, passed away in February 2020. The assistant chief medical officer of Priority Health had unsuccessfully attempted to persuade his superiors that the CAR T-cell therapy treatment was something the corporation had to pay for. Afterwards, he said to ProPublica, “We crossed the line.”
The widow of Forrest VanPatten, Betty, and their two adult children expressed their wish that other families wouldn’t have to experience what theirs experienced as a result of the unprecedented mandate from Michigan’s insurance regulator.
“I’m crying as I sit here because I know that Forrest would be so proud that something is going to happen and they won’t get away with it again,” Betty VanPatten said.
State lawmakers approved the rule more than 30 years ago because they were tired of insurance companies coming up with reasons not to pay for cancer patients’ treatments. The advisory issued by the Department of Insurance and Financial Services to insurers clarifies that new treatments developed using technology not available at the time the legislation was drafted had to be covered. Since the law’s enactment in 1989, the agency has admitted to ProPublica that it hasn’t done anything to enforce it.
Anita Fox, the head of the department, said that her office was “committed to protecting Michiganders by ensuring that health insurers are following all state and federal laws and regulations” in the news statement announcing the move.
Speaking on behalf of the firm, Priority Health stated that it had not yet received the advisory and was unable to respond. “We welcome the opportunity to answer any questions from legislators about coverage decisions,” the spokesman stated in a written response to ProPublica’s inquiries about lawmakers’ indignation over the VanPatten case. Based on scientific advancements, he added, the business started to cover CAR T-cell treatment “several years ago,” after VanPatten’s passing. “The health and safety of our members is always our top priority,” the statement reads, adding that focus Health complies with all applicable state and federal coverage standards.
Priority Health had previously said in remarks to ProPublica that the medical community had not originally reached an agreement on the course of therapy that VanPatten required. However, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a coalition of top American cancer treatment facilities, claims that there was widespread agreement over the therapy’s effectiveness even before VanPatten’s physicians asked Priority Health for clearance to use the drug.
The state statute is not mandatory for all Michigan health plans to abide with. Some businesses cover their employees’ medical expenses out of pocket, using insurance simply to handle claims. Federal regulations oversee these plans, which are not subject to state coverage requirements—though some choose to comply with them voluntarily.
The state insurance agency should look into Priority Health’s activities in the VanPatten case, as numerous lawmakers have been urging. They also blame insurance regulators for not enforcing the laws. The Michigan legislature reconvenes this Wednesday.
Senator Michael WebberThe Republican senator from Rochester Hills, Michael Webber, described the agency’s inaction as “a red flag” and said that “laws are only impactful if properly communicated and properly implemented.”
A comprehensive investigation of this issue and a review of the regulatory measures available to handle this scenario is necessary, according to Kalamazoo Democrat Rep. Julie Rogers, who leads the House health policy committee. She described what occurred to the VanPatten family as “horrifying.”
The state insurance department’s head of communications, Laura Hall, said that she was unable to disclose if the government was looking into Priority Health until a formal enforcement action was initiated.
The insurance department’s notice to health plans notwithstanding, Ann Arbour Democrat Sen. Jeff Irwin said he still favours drafting a new measure to make it “painstakingly clear” that Michigan law covers the new generation of cancer therapies. The individual in question deemed the conduct of Priority Health to be “unconscionable” and requested an inquiry into the circumstances behind “the denial, delay, and eventual death of this family” in a written statement.
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