BOCA RATON, Fla. — Nearly two weeks ago, WPTV’s Michael Hoffman shared the story of Donna Leech, a Boca Raton teacher battling an aggressive form of cancer and struggling to get her treatments covered.
Now, there’s a solution. After Hoffman connected with her coverage provider, Donna’s chemotherapy is being covered, and she’s already two sessions in.
WATCH: WPTV found out why teacher's treatment wasn't being covered
She’ll also receive financial aid from the drug company to help pay for her immunotherapy.
Donna’s husband, Ken Leech, says the turnaround happened just days after the WPTV story aired.
“I got a call, I think, two or three days after the story, and said they were going to cover the chemo,” said Leech.
The Leech family first contacted WPTV searching for answers from their provider, Redirect Health.
Seeking solutions, Hoffman reached out to Redirect Health to cut through the confusion and find out why her treatments weren’t covered by her insurance plan. Redirect tells Hoffman it’s because they aren’t actually an insurance company.
They’re what’s called a cost-share. It’s medical coverage, not insurance.
Where insurance will directly pay providers for treatments after a copay, Redirect will use member’s monthly payments to reimburse certain medical bills—like routine visits, checkups, and tests—with patients paying up front. They will also negotiate with providers to find ways to reduce bills for more critical care.
They tell Hoffman they never “denied” Donna’s coverage—they just didn’t have all the info needed to negotiate to reduce chemo costs effectively.
Redirect also acknowledged that hearing about the outpouring of support for Donna—including a GoFundMe that has raised nearly $54,000—helped accelerate the process of getting her treatments covered.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Teacher speaks to WPTV about struggle to get chemotherapy covered by insurance
Donna says she’s grateful, and she’s using this moment to teach her students about the importance of asking for help.
“If you don’t ask questions or ask for help, you’re throwing away lots of opportunities,” she said. “Call Channel 5! They’ll help you solve all of your problems.”
The Leech family says now that they know they don’t have full medical insurance, they’re going to start looking into getting more comprehensive coverage for Donna.
