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The crew installed a new mail box and post today. It is amazing how small updates make a big impression. I’m only sharing this to start on a good note.

United Health Care has denied approval for my procedure. We have exhausted all appeals except a very last-straw urgent appeal that even my once-confident neurologist says doesn’t stand a chance. United Health Care is the one insurance company who has held firm to the belief they know more about the field of neurology and brain tumors than the director of the Brain Tumor Center at Barnes/Wash U, who happens to be my neurologist.

Laser interstitial thermal therapy, or LiTT, is a minimally invasive procedure that uses heat to destroy areas of abnormal cells, such as tumors or cells causing seizures. Laser interstitial thermal therapy is sometimes called laser ablation surgery, stereotactic laser ablation or MRI-guided laser ablation. It is not new. It is not experimental. Health insurance companies are notoriously behind in updating their polices and guidelines as the field of medicine advances. United Healthcare is one of the slowest. Therefore, any procedure that is, at first, experimental and, after a time, becomes wildly performed, needs the “experimental” tag removed. United Health Care still considers LiTT experimental even though it is not anymore. Many people in my MBC Brain Mets support groups have had the procedure. None of them have United Health Care insurance.

United Health Care CEO, Andrew Witty, is the fifth highest compensated health insurance executive.

Andrew Witty, UnitedHealth Group

Total compensation: $20,865,106
CEO pay ratio: 331:1

Andrew Witty heads the largest health insurance company in the US and has earned almost $20.9 million while doing so. His 2022 pay is a substantial increase from $18.4 million in the previous year.

Witty received $1.5 million in annual salary and around $2.7 million in non-equity incentives. He also earned almost $12.4 million in stock incentives and $4.1 million in option awards. Here’s a breakdown of Witty’s total compensation.

Witty was named CEO of UnitedHealth Group in February 2021. He previously served as the group’s director and as chief executive of its tech arm, Optum.

UnitedHealth Group boasts a strong network of over 1.5 million medical and healthcare specialists and 6,200 hospitals. These professionals provide medical and dental benefits to the insurer’s more than 49 million members across the US.

Here is a link to the article: https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/guides/which-health-insurance-ceos-get-the-highest-pay-467513.aspx

I do not know what the next step is right now. I suppose my case will go back to the Barnes/Wash U Tumor Board to decide the next best way to treat the growing mass in my brain. Andrew Witty will celebrate his 60th birthday on August 22 this year. The chances of me celebrating my 60th birthday are slim.

Eff