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Area Author Shares Harrowing Struggle, Triumph In New Book

A doctor shared his path through medical school, marrying his love, watching her die at the hands of a brutal attacker and his successful 10-year legal battle against big insurance in a memoir released this week.


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Dr. Jeffrey Nordella spoke with KHTS on Monday about his 10-year legal battle and the personal and professional tragedies that marked it.

“The legal issues, when the supreme court refused to hear it I thought maybe they just saw this as one guy vs an insurance company,” said Dr. Nordella “but really it represents what is happening all over out country.

Years of advocating for his patients is what eventually brought the unfortunante attention of Anthem Blue Cross and sparked a legal battle that would last over a decade.

“The biggest thing is the relationship between the physician and the patient has been decaying for years,” said Dr. Nordella “everybody is standing in the middle you go to the doctor and you got all these hurdles you have to get through, (the insurance companies) are controlling everything now.”

Dr. Nordella is now sharing his “David and Goliath” story in the hopes that it can serve as a “cornerstone” for people to stand on in court cases moving forward.

“It used to be just your doctor and you, and you told him what was wrong and he treated you. The relationship has been severed when you have an insurance company making all the decisions,” said Dr. Nordella, referring to decisions about who is in the network, “what medication you receive… your insurance company basically becomes your doctor, but they’re not your doctor.”  

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You can get your own copy ‘Denied’ on the Amazon store or by visiting his website.

From deniedjeffreynordellamd.com:

Jeffrey Nordella grew up in near poverty, yet he succeeded in earning a medical degree from the UCLA School of Medicine. He married his soul mate, had three beautiful children and spent each day at his family and urgent care clinic doing what doctors are supposed to do and what he loved: caring for people.

He never thought that advocating for his patients would make him the target of a “for-profit” insurance company whose subscribers comprised nearly 60 percent of his practice.

Thus began the 10-year strategic legal battle, which included submission of the case to the United States Supreme Court. This story illuminates a single medical practitioner locking arms with a solo-practicing attorney to challenge the unethical and illegal business practices of the multi-billion dollar insurance giant, Anthem Blue Cross.

Amidst the legal fight, Dr. Nordella suffered tragic personal losses that would bring the average man to his knees. The murder of his beloved wife marked the pinnacle of his pain.

This nonfiction book chronicles one man’s journey to overcome insurmountable odds ending in a monumental, multi million dollar jury verdict.

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Area Author Shares Harrowing Struggle, Triumph In New Book

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About Cody Como

Cody Como has been a member of the KHTS Staff since March 2016. After beginning as a web intern he was promoted to a Staff Writer in the fall of 2016. As a member of the KHTS News Team he has covered local events ranging from Six Flags Ride Openings and School STEAM Fairs to Brush Fires and Floods. A Graduate of West Ranch High School in Stevenson Ranch, Cody is a near lifelong resident of the Santa Clarita Valley. As a member of the production team Cody works to help bring some of the great KHTS On Air Programming to residents.