A woman with a brain tumor who sued Nevada’s Obamacare exchange contractor for delayed coverage died earlier this week.
Linda Rolain was among 150 Nevadans suing the contractor Xerox for lack of coverage. She is the first to die of complications from an illness, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“We are worried that this is the first of many Nevadans who have life-threatening issues that may end up in such tragic circumstances,” Rolain’s lawyers said in a statement.
Rolain was diagnosed with the tumor in early 2014 and was unable to receive treatment for months because of enrollment problems with the state’s Obamacare exchange, Nevada Health Link, Rolain’s husband Robert said in a June press conference.
Robert Rolain said his wife’s tumor went from treatable to fatal as they awaited coverage. Following multiple enrollment issues, the couple bought insurance through Xerox. The plan was supposed to begin in March, but Xerox miscommunicated its start date so the couple didn’t know they had coverage until May, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Las Vegas insurance broker Pat Casale, who helped Rolain with the enrollment issues, told the Review-Journal that he knows multiple people who are “in serious need of care” but aren’t receiving it despite the fact that they’ve paid premiums.
Casale blames the delayed coverage for Rolain’s death.
“This poor lady was told in January that she needed immediate attention,” Casale said. “Her doctor said if she had begun treatment in March, he might been able to give her quality of care, and she might have lived longer. She had no chance because of the delay.”
