PHOENIX – Brittany Panico has seen insurers increasingly deny critical drugs and delay approvals for her patients, most of them living with complex autoimmune diseases.
During a town hall about medical claim denials organized in September by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, Panico, a Gilbert rheumatologist, shared the story of a patient with uncontrollable gout.
“It’s the single drug that’s FDA approved for this diagnosis,” Panico said. “We just got it approved last month. We’ve been appealing since October, so almost a full calendar year of appeals.”…