Susan Kristoff, left, was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, leaving her unable to work. The X-ray on the right shows a hole the cancer ate in Kristoff's hip.
(ABC)
"I purchased insurance to protect myself and my family. I see my business destroyed, my savings depleted and my family battling to keep our home," she said.
In Ursala Guidry's case, Cigna paid benefits for a while, then stopped. Cigna told Guidry she should be able to work full time, though she was suffering from advanced breast cancer.
Her husband, Michael Crommie, said, "We thought it was crazy because my wife was so incredibly disabled. It threw us into a panic because we didn't know how we would pay for our mortgage and support our children."
Cigna told grandmother Elizabeth Bara Skowronek she should be able to work, despite her heart disease.
"I can't afford to visit my grandchildren," Skowronek said. "This year for mother's day my son bought me medications. I never believed this could happen."
After several years, Cigna also cut off car wreck victim Eugene Czachor from his disability benefits, saying he should be able to return to work.
"I have to struggle from day to day as to which I can afford," he said, "my utilities, my food, mortgage or medication."
"GMA" went back to Cigna, who said they wouldn't discuss specific cases, even though everyone who wrote in gave them permission to talk to us.
U.S. House Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., heard our report about Kristoff and says she wants to pursue legislation that would penalize insurance companies if they wrongly deny claims.
"Right now there is no punishment," Wasserman Schultz said. "I'm going to make sure that we pursue these insurance companies and make sure that they are covering the claims that they are supposed to until we can get this law passed."
Going after insurance companies' that may have unfairly denied claims won't come soon enough for Ursala Guidry.
"Three months after we got the money from Cigna my wife died from breast cancer," her husband Michael Crommie said. "I can't help thinking about the time my wife wasted during her last year on Earth fighting an unethical insurance company."
There is hope for some of the people mentioned here.
After three years of fighting with Cigna and four appeals, Lorie Bailey's lawyer recently received a call from the insurance company. After "GMA" Gets Answers began looking into her case, Cigna has now reversed course and is paying Bailey's claim.
She will be getting back benefits that she estimates will equal about $80,000. Bailey says it will help piece her broken life back together.
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