{"id":879,"date":"2026-05-22T18:05:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T18:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879"},"modified":"2026-05-22T18:05:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T18:05:25","slug":"it-makes-me-angry-doctor-prescribes-her-a-medication-but-health-plan-says-no","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It makes me angry.\u2019 Doctor prescribes her a medication, but health plan says no"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Thousands of Floridians are encountering significant obstacles when attempting to fill prescriptions as health-insurance companies increasingly deny coverage for medications recommended by their doctors.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=877\">Hialeah ends 43-year senior care partnership with Little Havana non-profit, forces it out<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>For some, the struggle has become a way of life. Marilyn Bach-Nu\u00f1ez, a 71-year-old retired advocate in Sunrise, cares for her daughter, Joy, who has a rare genetic condition that causes chronic pain. Bach-Nu\u00f1ez, who has COPD and rheumatoid arthritis, said she has had to fight her health-insurance provider to cover necessary prescriptions not on the official list.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt makes me angry inside, especially because I worked my whole life,\u201d Bach-Nu\u00f1ez said. She asserted, \u201cThe insurance companies are becoming our doctors, and they are not doctors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, which lobbies for the industry and patient access, recently claimed there was a staggering number of prescription denials. \u201c70 percent of patients face rejection on their initial attempt,\u201d PhRMA said.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Health-insurance companies dispute this. America\u2019s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the industry\u2019s trade group, countered in a statement that the research is misleading. AHIP alleged that \u201cBrand drug makers bankrolled this misleading research to distract from the unaffordable prices they alone set and raise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In Fort Lauderdale, cardiologist Dr. Tiffany DiPietro reports that a prescription that she writes for a patient is rejected almost daily. \u201cAll insurance companies have a formulary, so they want you to try what\u2019s cheaper,\u201d she explained. \u201cBut the best medicines are newer, one company makes it, and they set the price.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=875\">Ex-Miami Beach mayor accused of sexual assault by Epstein assistant<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The high cost means some patients in South Florida simply go without. Shirley Hanson, an 82-year-old home health aide, never picked up prescriptions to treat blisters on her arm. \u201cI\u2019m 82, and I\u2019m still working. I can\u2019t afford my prescriptions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn my humble opinion, they hope you give up,\u201d Dr. DiPietro said of the denial process, noting she can spend \u201cone to two hours on the phone hoping to get through.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>However, AHIP maintains that \u201cHealth plans approve the vast majority of claims and connect patients with care that\u2019s effective, safe and as affordable as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Bach-Nu\u00f1ez refused to give up. After two appeals and two and a half months, she is now paying $12.65 for her COPD medication, which has a shelf price of $765. She said that \u201cwithin three or four days with this medicine, I wasn\u2019t getting out of breath.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=874\">Ex-Miami Beach mayor accused of sexual assault by Epstein assistant<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<h2>What to do if your insurer denies coverage<\/h2>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Appeal the decision and work with your doctor on the appeal process before submitting it to the insurance company.<\/li>\n<li>Look for discounts online directly from the drug manufacturer and prescription cards.<\/li>\n<li>Apply for a grant from a nonprofit organization such as The PAN Foundation, which might offer a cheaper price on your prescription.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><i>This report was produced by Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thousands of Florida residents face denied prescription coverage, long appeals and high drug prices, leaving some of them to go without vital medications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u2018It makes me angry.\u2019 Doctor prescribes her a medication, but health plan says no - Florida Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018It makes me angry.\u2019 Doctor prescribes her a medication, but health plan says no - Florida Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Thousands of Florida residents face denied prescription coverage, long appeals and high drug prices, leaving some of them to go without vital medications.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Florida Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-22T18:05:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=879#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=879\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/482f60b6a0b7cc84b37966d78057552f\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018It makes me angry.\u2019 Doctor prescribes her a medication, but health plan says no\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-22T18:05:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=879\"},\"wordCount\":523,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=879#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/82dc307ea6a5724459bdb553c1278e1e.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=879#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=879\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=879\",\"name\":\"\u2018It makes me angry.\u2019 Doctor prescribes her a medication, but health plan says no - Florida Moving Chronicle\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=879#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=879#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/82dc307ea6a5724459bdb553c1278e1e.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-22T18:05:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/482f60b6a0b7cc84b37966d78057552f\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=879#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=879\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=879#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/82dc307ea6a5724459bdb553c1278e1e.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/82dc307ea6a5724459bdb553c1278e1e.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":674},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=879#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018It makes me angry.\u2019 Doctor prescribes her a medication, but health plan says no\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Florida Moving Chronicle\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/482f60b6a0b7cc84b37966d78057552f\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018It makes me angry.\u2019 Doctor prescribes her a medication, but health plan says no - Florida Moving Chronicle","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018It makes me angry.\u2019 Doctor prescribes her a medication, but health plan says no - Florida Moving Chronicle","og_description":"Thousands of Florida residents face denied prescription coverage, long appeals and high drug prices, leaving some of them to go without vital medications.","og_url":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879","og_site_name":"Florida Moving Chronicle","article_published_time":"2026-05-22T18:05:25+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/482f60b6a0b7cc84b37966d78057552f"},"headline":"\u2018It makes me angry.\u2019 Doctor prescribes her a medication, but health plan says no","datePublished":"2026-05-22T18:05:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879"},"wordCount":523,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/82dc307ea6a5724459bdb553c1278e1e.jpg","articleSection":["Interesting"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879","url":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879","name":"\u2018It makes me angry.\u2019 Doctor prescribes her a medication, but health plan says no - Florida Moving Chronicle","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/82dc307ea6a5724459bdb553c1278e1e.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-22T18:05:25+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/482f60b6a0b7cc84b37966d78057552f"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/82dc307ea6a5724459bdb553c1278e1e.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/82dc307ea6a5724459bdb553c1278e1e.jpg","width":1200,"height":674},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=879#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018It makes me angry.\u2019 Doctor prescribes her a medication, but health plan says no"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/","name":"Florida Moving Chronicle","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/482f60b6a0b7cc84b37966d78057552f","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com"],"url":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=879"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/879\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}