IMPORTANT UPDATES BELOW
A young girl named Nataline Sarkisyan was initially denied approval for a needed liver transplant by her health care provider, Cigna of California. The case was diaried by nyceve and California Nurses Shum, each of whom asked us to call Cigna and protest. Joyously, Cigna changed its mind and agreed to pay for the transplant.
I called Cigna earlier today as part of the campaign and asked to speak to member services (why not? I am a member). I then started talking about Nataline's case, based upon what I had learned from the diaries in Kos. The Cigna representative informed me that the operation had indeed been authorized. Surprisingly, the Cigna representative sounded like a mensch and not like the officious asshole you so often encounter in these kinds of interactions. So I posed the following question:
ME: I am just wondering, do you think our internet campaign had any sort of influence on Cigna's decision?
CIGNA REP: Yes, I am sure it did. They sent all of us an e-mail about the case labelled "Internet/ Media/ Public Relations".
I don't know if this exchange is worth a diary, but it DID give me a smile on a day that otherwise seems cold and bleak. A Cigna representative acknowledged that our internet campaign was behind their decision to choose the life of a sixteen year-old girl over shareholder profits. And it was fun to hear such an acknowledgement from within the corporate structure.
UPDATE: Horrible news. The young girl just died while awaiting the transplant. So I guess Cigna gets to keep the money.
My condolences to Nataline's family on their heartbreaking loss. I hope they can take some glimmer of consolation in the number of people who cared about her plight and who were outraged on her behalf.
UPDATE TWO: As noted in the comments below, a liver was available six days ago, but the hospital refused to proceed with the transplant without Cigna's authorization. See here Could the six day delay have cost the girl her life?