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Retiree family calls on SFHSS to override Blue Shield denial for life-saving cancer treatment

San Francisco Health Service Board · January 8, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Family members and retired firefighters urged the San Francisco Health Service System board to hold Blue Shield accountable after the insurer denied a UCSF oncologist'recommended treatment for retired firefighter Ken Jones, calling the denials life-threatening and asking the board to intervene.

Helen Horvath, a retired San Francisco firefighter-paramedic, told the Health Service Board that her husband, retired firefighter Ken Jones, has fast-growing stage 4 metastatic lung cancer and that Blue Shield has denied the UCSF oncologist'recommended treatment that could slow disease progression. "Blue Shield is denying the treatment recommended by Ken's oncologist at UCSF," Horvath said, adding the denials have drained the medical team and threatened Ken's life.

Rachel Jones, Ken Jones's daughter and a registered nurse,…

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