NEW: Georgians Report Prolonged Suffering & Untreated Conditions as a Result of Insurance Companies Denying or Delaying Care Doctors Say They Need

Click here to read Sen. Ossoff's fourth report from his ongoing investigation into health care costs, loss of services, and delays or denials of needed care

Washington, D.C. - Georgians say they are suffering from the delay or denial of needed health care by insurance companies, a new report from U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff found.

Today, Sen. Ossoff released the fourth report of his ongoing investigation into the impacts of rising health care costs, cuts to health care services, and delays or denials of medically necessary health care due to issues with "prior authorization," where an insurance company can deny care even for necessary treatments prescribed by doctors.

The report includes stories from Georgia patients who say that delays and denials of medically necessary health care have led, in some cases, to prolonged pain and serious, untreated conditions.

"No American should be delayed or denied needed health care. It is unacceptable that Americans, who are paying record premiums to insurers making record profits in the world's richest country, are nevertheless denied medically necessary care," Sen. Ossoff said. "I will continue exposing these practices and working to ban insurance companies from denying or delaying needed health care."

As detailed in the report, Georgia patients described the pain and suffering they endured as a result of the delays and denials, and the ways in which their health was threatened:

• Matt Conley, from Martinez, reports that his 83-year-old father, Larry Conley, suffered a stroke affecting his left side on October 31, 2025. He says that within a week, the doctors stabilized his father's vitals, located the plaque that caused the stroke, and prescribed medications to dissolve it. He reports that his father's doctors and physical therapist informed him that his father was an excellent candidate for rehabilitation. The insurance company denied the request for transfer to physical therapy about three weeks after submitting the request, because he "did not meet the eligibility requirements for physical therapy." Mr. Conley says that the insurance company "refused to accept an appeal of the denial from the family and demanded that it come from the patient," Mr. Conley's father. Mr. Conley reports that his father, "still coherent, requested an expedited appeal," which was ultimately approved. Mr. Conley reports that his father was recovering well, but after being bedridden for over a month, his father soon developed signs of pneumonia and required a course of antibiotics, after which he was moved back to the general hospital floor. In respiratory distress, he was ultimately transferred to the emergency room and passed away on December 29, 2025. Mr. Conley said, "There is no doubt in my mind that if he'd been transferred to physical therapy when the doctors prescribed it, he would be alive today. He was forced to lie in bed for over a month, which made him susceptible to the pneumonia that ultimately killed him."

• Lisa Agostoni, a Smyrna resident living with cystic fibrosis, relies on multiple life-saving medications. Ms. Agostoni reports that in 2026 alone, her insurance company has denied 10 of 13 medications prescribed by her doctor, some of which she has been taking for decades. The insurance company has denied them citing they are medically unnecessary, missing prior authorizations, or because they were not in the formulary of the company and the insurer prefers another drug that she cannot tolerate. Ms. Agostoni appealed the 10 denials and more than half of them were denied again. Her doctor then had to go through an appeals process requiring letters of medical necessity and decades-old medical files. All her medications were finally approved except for one new medication called Brinsupri that treats airway damage from years of infections. Ms. Agostoni reports that it takes her insurer 10-14 days on average to approve medications her doctor prescribes. She reports that she has had to ration Alyftrek, a medication that is essential to keep her alive, three times this year and that delays routinely stretch from weeks to over a month, disrupting her continuity of care.

• Mark Cornman, from Williamson, reports that in March 2026, he saw a doctor for knee pain and swelling, having already undergone three prior knee surgeries. His doctor diagnosed him with arthritis and determined he needed a knee replacement and scheduled surgery for early June. Mr. Cornman reports that one week before the surgery, his insurance company denied the surgery as not "medically necessary." Mr. Cornman reports that his doctor appealed the denial and the insurer conducted a peer-to-peer review, but denied the surgery again, this time requiring six weeks of physical therapy first. Mr. Cornman completed the physical therapy, and his doctor rescheduled the surgery for August 19. The insurance company denied the surgery again, stating that his arthritis was not severe enough to warrant the surgery. His doctor is now appealing that decision. Mr. Cornman, a machinist who is on his feet roughly 10 hours a day during the week, says that "he can't get around without crutches" due to the pain and has missed workdays as a result.

Last month, Sen. Ossoff released the investigation's third report, which detailed how Georgians suffering delays or denials of medically necessary health care faced prolonged painful symptoms and a lower quality of life. In August, Sen. Ossoff released the second report that covered how Georgians suffered with untreated life-threatening conditions, and/or severe financial hardship as a result of the delays or denials of medically necessary health care. Sen. Ossoff's first report from July outlined stories of Georgians who report they have been delaying necessary care and are paying thousands more for care after the loss of the ACA tax credits, with some saying they've lost insurance altogether because of the high costs.

In January, Sen. Ossoff launched an investigation into the impacts of rising health care costs and cuts to health care services, and in June, Sen. Ossoff urged Georgians to share stories of insurance companies denying or delaying medically necessary health care.

A Johns Hopkins study found that the practice of prior authorization, where patients must seek approval from their insurance company before receiving care, was "associated with disease exacerbation, preventable hospitalization, prolonged hospital stay, and lower rates of disease-free survival."

According to KFF, virtually all seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage must obtain prior authorization for some services, and in 2024 over four million of these requests were denied.

Additionally, KFF also found that of the approximately 85 million Affordable Care Act (ACA) in-network denied claims in 2024, less than 1% were appealed, forcing patients either to pay for services out-of-pocket, despite having "coverage," or forgoing care-solely because of decisions made by insurance companies.

In July, Senate Republicans blocked a Senate resolution cosponsored by Sen. Ossoff to stop the Trump Administration from allowing artificial intelligence to improperly deny seniors' needed health care.

In June, during the Senate's vote series, Sen. Ossoff offered an amendment to prevent insurance companies from denying or delaying needed health care, but Senate Republicans blocked Sen. Ossoff's amendment.

This followed Senate Republicans blocking Sen. Ossoff's amendment during a Senate budget debate in April.

In April, Sen. Ossoff launched an inquiry with CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz about insurance practices that lead to denied claims and delayed health care that patients need.

Click here to read Sen. Ossoff's new report: Georgians Report Insurance Companies Are Causing Prolonged Suffering by Denying or Delaying Needed Care.

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