that he had not spoken out before, couldn t speak out before because of that lawsuit. is he able to say more about the health care provider now that the lawsuit is at an end? i think the world better prepare themselves for paul van nocker to be honest with you. i mean, he is a man with a lot of opinions and they re well grounded, thoughtful, well researched and once the lawsuit was filed he didn t want to say anything that might in any way jeapordize kyler s case. so i think now, you know, obviously they have things to tend to right now. kyler s viewing is friday. his funeral is saturday. they have two other younger children. the school year has started. i think they need to sit back and take some big, deep breaths and kind of recover from what the last three years have been like but as paul explained to me, he said, i am one pissed off dad and i think washington is going to hear about it. all of the fear mongering about government bureaucrats making end of life decisions, rationin
i work hard. i have health coverage. kyler actually has two health insurances covering him. this is about insurance companies making decisions instead of the doctors. the van nockers turned to medicaid of new jersey to pay for part of their son s latest treatment. the children s hospital of philadelphia forgave the rest of the cost. the lawsuit was dropped and health america was off the hook. this sunday surrounded by his family three months before his sixth birthday kyler van nocker succumbed to complications of the cancer he had fought so bravely for three years. let s turn to ronnie polanesky, the columnist for the philadelphia daily news who first brought the story to light and chronicled this family s plight over three years. thanks for your time tonight. thank you for having me. you have spoken to kyler s parents since this happened. how are they doing? well, i think as any parents who have children who are sick as kyler was he had many setbacks along the way and he would
by paul van nocker s count his health care provider spent between $1.6 million and $1.8 million trying to treat his son s deadly form of cancer but in november of last year health america decided that was as far as it would go and refused to pay for treatments that would extend 5-year-old kyler s life. the parent company posted earnings of $97 million last quarter better than analysts expectations. on sunday the young patient whose cancer treatment they refused to pay for died in the children s hospital of philadelphia. in june of 2007 kyler van nocker age 2 was diagnosed with stage four neuro blastoma, cancer. he spent the next two years fighting for his life. two times requiring treatment from drugs that had not yet been approved by the fda each treatment paid for by his insurance. in october of last year, kyler s cancer, which had been in remission, returned. his doctor at children s hospital determined a third drug also not approved by the fda was needed. this time health america
so for three years he had three years of one more day and when i spoke with paul on sunday he sounded, you know, as you can imagine very tired but i think they re stunned that sunday was the last day. so it s a pretty a very difficult time for them. they are incredibly strong people. they ve got wonderful family and support so i think that they do feel they re being carried through this. they were spectacular in bringing this story public the way they did with you and then briefly with us in february. another note about what paul has told you and this was today, that he had not spoken out before, couldn t speak out before because of that lawsuit. is he able to say more about the health care provider now that the lawsuit is at an end? i think the world better prepare themselves for paul van nocker to be honest with you. i mean, he is a man with a lot of opinions and they re well grounded, thoughtful, well researched and once the lawsuit was filed he didn t want to say anything tha
obama care but with the system that it intends to overhaul, this, the system, the health care reform reforms. this was a death panel. are people in the country brought to understand that reality through tragedies like van nocker the van nocker story and particularly this incredible, inappropriately timed let alone being inappropriate at any time battle over whether or not a sick child should get the medicine that he needs? well, i think people have an idea of what a death panel would look like. it would be a panel of people saying okay, we re done. it s time. it doesn t happen that way. it happens with, you know, one small decision and then another decision and then another decision and oftentimes the decisions usurp the opinions and the expertise of these experts who know best. i mean, in kyler s case he was treated at children s hospital of philadelphia. it s one of the world s best places for treatment, particularly of this disease. kids come from all over the world for it.