Top Michigan insurance regulator: Cancer treatments must be covered

A Michigan man was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lymphoma, but his insurance company denied coverage for a clinically proven treatment.

This story is part of a partnership with ProPublica and reporters Maya Miller and Robin Fields.

Scripps News and ProPublica engaged in a joint investigation this past November that focused on insurance companies rejecting millions of treatments in this country.

Our report examined the case of Forrest VanPatten, a Michigan man who died in 2020 after his insurance company denied coverage of his cancer treatment, despite a state law requiring cancer drugs be covered.

Now, two months after our investigation was broadcast, state regulators in Michigan are putting insurers on notice.