Medicare Advantage

Leo R: When Red Tape Stands Between a Mother and the Care She Needs

After years without proper monitoring of a known liver condition, Liliana Zelaya was diagnosed with advanced liver cancer in March 2025 — and then spent seven months waiting for treatment while her son Leo battled their Medicare Advantage insurer through failed authorizations, inaccurate network information and contradictory cost estimates. She died in January 2026 at 74.