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Gulf States Gumbo

Three scary words: Out. Of. Network.

(left-right) Tracy, Trevor and Charles Malosh hold denial letters from Molina Healthcare in their family store in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, on Dec. 20, 2024.
Drew Hawkins
/
Gulf States Newsroom
(left-right) Tracy, Trevor and Charles Malosh hold denial letters from Molina Healthcare in their family store in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, on Dec. 20, 2024. Trevor needs a life-saving operation to replace one of his heart valves, but he faced barriers from the insurance company and the hospital who could perform the procedure.

Out. Of. Network. Dreaded words for anyone who needs life-saving medical care. But sometimes, doctors in an insurance company’s network can’t perform that care. Our public health reporter Drew Hawkins tells us about one Mississippi family who went above and beyond to get a critically needed surgery— but were still denied.

And we hear about what the Trump Administration’s plans to cut health research would mean for Alabama.

For this week’s Gulf States Gem, we brag on our favorite libraries.

This episode is hosted by economic mobility reporter Stephan Bisaha and edited by Tyler Pratt. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email connect@gulfstatesnewsroom.org.

READ MORE:

Trevor Malosh’s heart surgery was finally on the books after months of negotiations with his insurance company and the hospital. Then, another setback happened.

Birmingham has become one of the country’s leading hubs for biomedical research. Banners downtown brag about the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s status in the top 1% of institutions for NIH funding, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars into the region.