Insurance

GLENDALE — Attorneys for the family of a 17-year-old leukemia patient that sued Cigna Corp. on Dec. 18 unveiled a wide-ranging plan Saturday to shame the health insurance giant for its role in her 2007 death after the company initially refused to pay for a liver transplant. Mark Geragos, who represents the family of Nataline Sarkisyan, said the family will likely call for the state Department of Insurance to take action against Cigna and plans to “start a grass-roots movement” asking investors to sell their shares in the healthcare company.

After the state Assembly approved a $14-billion healthcare reform proposal on Dec. 17 and with the governor vowing to get to work in January on a funding plan that could support the measure, health officials are hopeful that 2008 is the year a deal goes through to overhaul the state’s system. But while healthcare industry players — from hospitals, physicians and nonprofit providers to lawmakers of both parties — largely agree the current system is broken, area officials are mixed over Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez’s bill that passed the Assembly two weeks ago. The plan would require all Californians, including the some 6 million Californians — or 20% of the population — who don’t have medical coverage to purchase some sort of health insurance.

Teen?s death proves problem with system As I?m writing this letter, the family of 17-year-old Nataline Sarkisyan is making plans to bury their child (?Leukemia patient dies,? Saturday). Four leading physicians, including the surgical director of the Pediatric Liver Transplant Program at UCLA, wrote to Cigna in an attempt to convince the company to reverse its denial of coverage. In their letter they also made it clear that Nataline met the criteria to be listed as Status 1A for a liver transplant.

GLENDALE — Hours after CIGNA HealthCare reversed a decision to deny coverage for a potentially life-saving liver transplant for Nataline Sarkisyan, the 17-year old Northridge resident died at about 6 p.m. on Thursday at Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA. Doctors first sought coverage from Nataline’s family’s insurance provider on Dec. 10 for the transplant, but the coverage was denied. About 150 of Nataline’s relatives, friends and supporters gathered Thursday morning to demonstrate at Cigna’s Glendale office on North Brand Boulevard, where they pleaded with the company to reverse its decision denying the transplant.

GLENDALE — One thing stood between Northridge resident Nataline Sarkisyan, 17 — a leukemia patient in critical condition at UCLA’s Mattel Children’s Hospital — and a potentially life-saving, doctor-recommended liver transplant last week: her family’s health insurance provider. Ten days since doctors first sought coverage for the transplant, about 150 of Nataline’s relatives, friends and supporters gathered Thursday to demonstrate at Cigna’s Glendale office on North Brand Boulevard, where they pleaded with the company to reverse its decision denying the transplant.

ARCADIA ? Products of Crescenta Valley and St. Francis high figured prominently in the outcome of Wednesday's Babe Ruth Pacific Southwest 16-18 Regional Tournament opener. Former Falcon Kam Krise was aided by a key home run from former Golden Knight Matt Quintero in wrapping up a 6-0 victory against Castro Valley at Arcadia High. With Krise on the hill, Castro Valley was held scoreless for six innings. It was still a tightrope walk for the right-hander through five of those, as Quintero's blast in the third and Krise's own run-scoring single in the fourth were the only runs Arroyo Seco produced in that span.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — It took a while for the Flintridge Prep softball team to get a feel for the timing of Providence starting pitcher Natalie Kasbarian. Once it did, the result was a five-run sixth inning, as the Rebels broke open a tie ballgame. That outburst was just enough to withstand a furious seventh-inning comeback attempt by the Pioneers, who fell one run short in the Rebels' 9-8 nonleague win on Friday afternoon at Flintridge Prep. "These girls have been working real hard, and what I like is that it was a total team effort," Rebels Coach Julie Jaime said.

GLENDALE — The state's Public Utilities Commission has withdrawn its opposition to a proposed controversial at-grade railroad crossing at Flower Street, city officials said, prompting concern among residents that the project will move forward. This means that when Judge Maribeth Bushey, the administrative law judge tasked with resolving the issue next considers the project, she could order steps that would bring the project closer to reality. The commission — which has the final say on any new railroad crossings in the state — withdrew its protest about two weeks ago, following a mediation process to help settle a dispute over the crossing, city officials said.

An insurance career fair sponsored by Glendale Community College Business Division will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 9 at the Verdugo Jobs Center, 1255 S. Central Ave., from 9 a.m. to noon. Representatives from insurance companies will be present to discuss the many job opportunities in the insurance industry. GCC offers two insurance certificate programs with courses held in the daytime, evening and online. The Insurance Professional Certificate and Insurance Specialist Certificate courses are all approved by the Insurance Education Association (IEA)