Communication Work When Care is at Stake: One Family’s Journey with a Health Insurance Denial

Abstract

Denials of health insurance claims in the U.S. have been increasing rapidly in recent years, taking a toll on patients, families, and the health care system. Yet health communication scholars know little about the storied experiences of those affected by these denials. In this essay, I reflect on my own family’s efforts to secure insurance coverage for an orthopedic surgery for my son after our insurer repeatedly refused coverage. In doing so, I draw attention to the ways that coping with a health insurance denial involves a distinct type of communication labor and contributes to advancing research using the Integrative Theory of Communication Work. I contend that health communication scholars are uniquely positioned to contribute to our understanding of health insurance denials and to suggest improvements to this complex bureaucratic process.