ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Tampa Bay plastic surgeon advocating for breast cancer patients who are denied insurance coverage recently found herself in an unexpected spotlight when one of television's most successful medical dramas highlighted the issue.
St. Petersburg plastic surgeon, Dr. Alicia Billington, was floored when she learned ABC’s hit drama, "Grey's Anatomy," addressed the issue in a recent episode. In addition, one of its star actors even included Billington in a post on social media.
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"I mean, this is one of the shows that I grew up watching, thinking, oh my gosh, I want to be a doctor," said Billington. "I never dreamed anything like this would happen."
The episode, which aired last week, told the story of a breast cancer patient undergoing complex breast reconstruction surgery and included a special mention about the federal law that's supposed to protect women who opt for surgery after cancer.
However, in real life, that coverage mandated by the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA) doesn't always apply.
For months, Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone and Photojournalist Matthew Apthorp have shared the stories of Florida breast cancer patients who were denied insurance coverage for procedures recommended by their physicians, including breast reconstruction surgery.
It's a problem Billington and other members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) have been working to fix. Over the summer, they hit the halls of Capitol Hill to speak with lawmakers about introducing new legislation to modernize the 27-year-old law, making it harder for insurance carriers to deny claims.
As a result of their efforts, U.S. Congresswoman Kat Cammack of Florida and Debbie Dingell of Michigan recently introduced bipartisan legislation to update the law and expand coverage for breast reconstruction patients to include newer treatments like implants and microsurgical techniques. The legislation also includes safeguards to ensure patients get access to coverage as advancements in breast reconstruction continue to evolve.
Dr. Michael Metzner, a practicing physician and friend of Billington's, also happens to be a supervising producer for Grey's Anatomy. He said Billington called him several months ago about the issues her patients were experiencing with insurance denials. Metzner said he’s been pitching an episode about breast reconstruction surgery for years.
After getting producers on board and speaking with Billington, he felt the episode needed to address the Women’s Health & Cancer Rights Act.
“I think that's a very important piece of information to put out there, because we're trying to educate without people knowing that they're being educated,” Metzner said.
Billington and Metzner agree the timing of the episode with the recently filed legislation was an unexpected but welcome surprise.
“This was truly the aligning of the stars, “said Metzner.
Billington recalls learning about the upcoming episode.
“He’s like, we’re going to mention the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act, and I was like, are you kidding me?" Billington added.
Metzner said it was an easy sell since Grey's Anatomy has always fought for patient rights.
“Grey's Anatomy has a history of talking about really complex surgical issues, insurance issues, and pretty much patients’ rights across the board,” Metzner said, adding, “we're trying to educate without people knowing that they're being educated.”
That education didn't end on television.
In another plot twist Billington didn't see coming, Grey's Anatomy star Jason Winston George, who plays Dr. Ben Warren on the show, took to Instagram to promote the episode and included a videoBillington had previously recorded as part of her ongoing advocacy.
"Those of us working the show actually learned some crazy things about the law and health insurance coverage for breast reconstruction surgery. It blew my mind," George stated in his video post on Instagram before he pitched it to Dr. Billington as the “real doctor” to explain the issue.
George ended his post by advocating for change.
“The law needs to be modernized to ensure that every woman has access modern breast reconstruction options. It's that simple,” he said.
Billington didn't know she was being featured in the video until one of her staff members played the video and she heard her voice.
"I'm grateful and I’m thankful. I’m just so happy that people think that this is important and are giving these patients a voice," Billington said.
Voices that are now being amplified by some friends in high places.
Billington is hoping to expand the celebrity support for change in the law.
"Well, I was going to call Michael to be like, Hey, do you happen to know Taylor Swift's mom?
Because Taylor Swift's mom had breast cancer, and she wrote a song about that experience," Billington said.
“That would be great if they can support this. They would make a huge difference,” said Billington with a smile.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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