Shedding risk
Jennifer Danylyshyn kisses her then 4-month-old daughter, Ava, at their Pasadena home in July. Ava was denied health coverage by Blue Shield of California because the otherwise healthy baby was born with a minor hip joint misalignment. The condition soon cleared up on its own and Blue Shield agreed to cover Ava -- after six months and more than $2,000 in unreimbursed medical care. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Ava Danylyshyn peers into the eyes of her mother at their Pasadena home. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Jennifer Danylyshyn holds her daughter, Ava, while Ava has an X-ray of her hips at the Huntington Out Patient Imaging Center in Pasadena. The good news is that the hip joint misalignment that made the otherwise healthy baby uninsurable is gone. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Ava Danylyshyn waits as her mother, Jennifer, unloads groceries from the car at their Pasadena home. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Jennifer Danylyshyn unpacks groceries while she holds her daughter, Ava, as son Alex, 3, plays in the kitchen of their Pasadena home. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Sally Marrari watches television with her husband, Rick, at their Playa del Rey home. Blue Cross dropped Sally Marrari after she was hospitalized for three days and diagnosed with lupus. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Rico Marrari, 16, helps his mother, Sally, in the family-owned auto repair business in Los Angeles. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Rico Marrari kisses his father, Rick Marrari, goodbye as Francisco Marrari, 82, and Rick Marrari Jr., 20, look on at the family-owned auto repair shop in Los Angeles. Rick Marrari’s wife, Sally, suffers from lupus and has no health insurance after being dropped by Anthem Blue Cross. The family is compensating one specialist by repairing the doctor’s vintage Porsche and giving it a new paint job. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Sally Marrari visits Dr. Yong T. Lee and receives a blood test at Korea Medical Group Inc. in Los Angeles. Blue Cross canceled her health insurance after she was diagnosed with lupus. She pays $145 out of her own pocket for the brief visit with the doctor and then an additional $50 for the blood test. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Rick Marrari, left, his wife, Sally, and sons, Rico, 16, and Rick Jr., 20, have dinner at their Playa del Rey home. Anthem Blue Cross dropped Sally Marrari after she was hospitalized for three days and diagnosed with lupus, a chronic, arthritis-like disease. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
