Wanda Roberson spent seven months paying out of pocket for her son Tareen’s leukemia treatments while his NJ FamilyCare application sat unresolved, a wait she says began after the family’s insurance ended when the boy’s father retired. The Jersey City single mother says she submitted her application paperwork in November 2025 seeking coverage for Tareen’s medication, doctor visits and chemotherapy, only to be told to restart the entire process from scratch.
Roberson’s ordeal, first reported by WABC-TV, traces back to 2024, when Tareen was diagnosed with leukemia while still covered under his father’s insurance. Once that coverage lapsed with the father’s retirement, Roberson said her family relied on temporary Medicaid and charity to keep her son’s treatment going. She said finding out her child was sick was devastating, and the months of uncertainty that followed only compounded the strain.
Roberson applied for NJ FamilyCare, the state program that provides affordable health insurance to qualifying New Jersey residents, but the application remained pending for months. She said she had been dealing with the insurance issue for seven months before deciding to reach out to 7 On Your Side, telling the investigative team she had seen them get things done for other families.
An Investigative Team Steps In
According to the station’s report, 7 On Your Side contacted the New Jersey Department of Health Services on Roberson’s behalf. By the end of the week, Roberson received good news: Tareen’s treatment costs were retroactively covered in full…