A South Carolina woman is speaking out after Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois allegedly denied a life-saving liver transplant for her sister, despite having previously provided pre-authorization for the procedure. Stephanie Lassiter, who shared the update on her Instagram account @chapterandvinesteph and her TikTok channel @stephanielasitter, expressed her frustration after finding out the surgery was allegedly denied right before it was scheduled to take place.
In her caption, she claimed, “Yall know I’m generally fueled by whimsy and joy and kindness but today I feel none of those things.” She continued by detailing the specific hurdles the family is facing with the insurance provider. “We had pre-authorization. @bcbsassociation gave her team one condition- to put her on the universal donor list and they’d approve it. So, they did that.”
She further alleged, “And here we are, 4 days before the scheduled surgery- flights booked, childcare organized, lodging secured (too late to cancel that so $4000 down the drain), bags basically packed and they’re denying the procedure.” In her video, she noted that her sister Candace Felts, has been battling stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma since December of 2021. After years of intense treatment, a liver transplant was identified as the potential path to a cancer-free life.
Lassiter claimed she was tested and cleared to be the donor
Lassiter underwent donor testing in August and was cleared to donate, is deeply invested in the outcome. In a her video, she stated, “I might be a sweet small town girl from South Carolina, but I signed up the moment I could to give my sister my organ and save her life. I’m willing to put my body on the line for hers, and you’re not willing to put your pockets on the line. You messed with the wrong girl.”
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According to Lassiter, BCBS “has denied the procedure, claiming it’s experimental.” What really got to her was the fact that they had been given hope. She alleged, “It’s also important to note that they gave us pre-authorization to do all of the testing. We had pre-auth. They got our hopes up.”
Lassiter claimed that Candace’s doctor is currently working to appeal the decision, though she admitted, “We don’t have a lot of hope that it’s going to work.” She alleged that the company “very swiftly denied the peer-to-peer review.” It should be noted that all we have is Lassiter’s perspective, which cannot be independently verified. However, her post drummed up over 120K views in just one day, and has already been reposted, stitched into new posts, and shared.
Commenters were overwhelmingly outraged for Felts and Lassiter. One user wrote, “Why do insurance companies get to be the decision makers?!? Corporate greed at its best!” Another commenter shared a personal connection to the issue, stating, “I lost a friend to breast cancer because @bcbsil denied her treatments.”
@stephanielasitter Yall know I’m generally fueled by whimsy and joy and kindness but today I feel none of those things. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois has denied coverage for Candice’s liver transplant. She has an incredible team of doctors who are advocating for her, but it’s not looking great. We had pre-authorization. BCBS Association gave her team one condition- to put her on the universal donor list and they’d approve it. So, they did that. And here we are, 4 days before the scheduled surgery- flights booked, childcare organized, lodging secured (too late to cancel that so $4000 down the drain), bags basically packed and they’re denying the procedure. An entire team of medical providers has deemed this transplant a necessary, life-saving measure but a for-profit healthcare company worth over $150 billion has decided she doesn’t need it. So today I’ve tucked my whimsy away and will not hide my rage. Check out Candice’s profile to hear more about her story and how we got here. 5 years of kicking ass only to be denied the procedure that will change her life. Candice Felts Talk to me when Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois realizes they don’t get to play God. I’m not going away, don’t tell me again that my noise doesn’t matter. #healthinsurance #cholangiocarcinoma #livertransplant #cancer #bluecrossblueshield
♬ original sound – Stephanie Lasitter
Others pointed out the irony of the situation, with one user noting, “It should be illegal for them to deny anything once pre-auth is given. ‘You said you would cover it, I did the work, now you changed your mind?!’ Illegal!!” In a different case, a woman lost her pre-authorization when her insurance was changed. Then, instead of approving her pre-diabetic medication, she was sent a bathroom scale.
While pre-authorization is a standard part of the medical insurance process, it is important to understand what it actually entails. According to Staffingly, every major insurer includes language in their contracts stating that prior authorization is not a guarantee of payment.
It essentially confirms that a service appears medically necessary based on submitted documentation at a specific point in time. However, Staffingly noted that it does not bind the payer if circumstances change or if a retrospective medical necessity review is conducted later.
Despite these contractual realities, supporters are encouraging the family to keep fighting. One user on TikTok claimed, “Continue to make noise! I was a liver donor for my cousin who had cholangiocarcinoma back in march and his transplant was initially denied as well. Give them hell and don’t let them win!”
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Lassiter herself seems determined to do exactly that. She concluded her video saying, “We’re doing this transplant. It’s gonna happen. Get on board.” The family has now started a GoFundMe to help with expenses and is also urging the public to share the story. The hope is that with enough public pressure, BCBS will reverse its decision and allow the life-saving surgery to proceed.
