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- A Freehold Township family battled their insurance company, Aetna, over coverage for a cancer treatment.
- The patient’s wife used ChatGPT to find the right wording to get the insurer to cooperate.
- The family secured a discounted immunotherapy treatment directly from the drug company, Merck.
A few weeks ago, Brian McNamara was approaching a crucial juncture in his treatment for head and neck cancer — and had reached another impasse in an ongoing battle with his insurance company.
The 45-year-old Freehold Township resident and father of five, who teaches history at Brick Township High School and coaches football at Freehold Township High School, was recommended in early 2025 for immunotherapy by his doctors.
His insurer Aetna declined to cover the treatment. So he appealed directly to Merck — the drug company that makes the immunotherapy drug Keytruda — for what is called “compassionate use,” an affordable option for patients with life-threatening conditions. His application was accepted for one year of immunotherapy every three weeks at a deeply discounted rate.
As the one-year deal approached its April 1 expiration date, McNamara sought a renewal, and was told by Merck that the renewal process required a new letter from Aetna affirming its continued denial of coverage.
That’s where he hit a snag.
“Aetna wouldn’t give us any updated documentation,” said Jodi McNamara, Brian’s wife. “We just needed a letter. They said no.”
Exasperated, Jodi McNamara turned to an unorthodox resource — one she had heard about through her many discussions with people in the cancer community since Brian’s diagnosis.
ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot.
“I get on the phone with someone (at Aetna) and while I’m on the phone I’m typing the situation into ChatGPT and asking ChatGPT, ‘How do I formulate the words to tell the insurance company what we really need?’” she explained. “I read verbatim what came up on ChatGPT, and it worked.”
The key was finding the right buzzwords to get the attention of the functionary on the other end of the line.
“You are denying him life-saving treatment,” Jodi said, reading from ChatGPT. “I’m not asking you to pay for it. I’m not asking you to review it. But you can’t legally deny a patient life-saving treatment from another source.”
She pushed the correct button. The letter got sent, and Merck approved Brian for a second year of discounted immunotherapy just in time to dovetail with the end of the first. These treatments cost tens of thousands of dollars.
“I don’t care what emergency funds you have, you’re not paying that every three weeks,” Jodi said.
The McNamaras share their story to provide help and hope to others who are dealing with a serious illness and the roadblocks thrown up by insurers. There are ways around the obstacles. Jodi discusses them regularly on “Diary of a Caregiver,” her TikTok page devoted to the issue.
“I want to pay it forward,” Jodi said, “because we have learned so much in this process that has truly helped us.”
Finding the resources
From the time of Brian’s diagnosis in November 2024, support poured in from all corners. Thousands of well-wishers participated in a drive-by rally in front of his home right before that Christmas, and donors contributed $69,000 and counting to a GoFundMe campaign.
“We’re so thankful for everything everybody has done for us,” Brian said. “I can’t even put it into words. I couldn’t have imagined this in my wildest dreams.”
Despite undergoing exhausting immunotherapy treatments every three weeks at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, McNamara returned to teaching and coaching in September. It was especially meaningful for him to coach his son Jake, who was a senior safety for Freehold Township football this past fall.
“It was nice to get back to some normalcy,” Brian said. “It was tough being tired and worn down, but I’m just not a person that can sit around. The support from the community makes it easier to keep fighting.”
There were bumps in the road.
“The first time I had Keytruda, it had a horrible side effect. It made my immune system go crazy,” Brian said.
He ended up hospitalized and was able to resume immunotherapy with the help of additional medication that calms his immune system.
While Brian fought the physical battle, Jodi fought the administrative ones. She crowdsourced advice. That’s how, after Aetna declined to cover Brian’s treatment, she learned to appeal directly to the pharmaceutical company.
“Doctors never told us that,” Jodi said. “It was all outreach. Tons of people said, ‘try this.’”
Another piece of advice that was passed along to her, and that she now shouts from the rooftops?
“Make sure you get two or three opinions,” she said. “That’s extremely important. Each doctor has seen different things. Each doctor has done their own research. We learn something from each. By compiling all of that, we came up with what we felt was a good plan.”
The McNamaras traveled to Boston and Houston for second and third opinions. And they flew for free — another tip they’d crowdsourced. They learned about “angel flights,” a charitable network of pilots and private planes who serve people in need. And of corporate flights — “large companies who allow you to jump on their flights free of charge” for urgent health care purposes.
“The hospitals didn’t tell me that,” Jodi McNamara said. “That’s from me speaking out and talking to people.”
To be clear, the McNamaras don’t have a problem with the hospitals or doctors.
“These cancer hospitals are jampacked,” Jodi said. “You just can’t assume they’re going to advocate for you. There are resources out there. You just have to find them.”
‘Medical debt is such an epidemic’
The cancer-patient community is not something anyone wants to join, but once you’re a member, there are definite benefits for those who seek help.
“I wouldn’t have the knowledge I have if I didn’t put our story out there, and if I wasn’t open to other people’s opinions and things they’ve gone through,” Jodi said.
The need for these kinds of exchanges are greater now than ever.
“Medical debt is such an epidemic in our country,” Jodi said. “To have to drain what you’ve worked for to pay for medical bills because insurance companies won’t do it while you’re fighting for your life, it’s awful. There were times when I was like, ‘I don’t know if we’re going to lose our house.’”
They didn’t, thanks to sheer resourcefulness — from finding free flights to using ChatGPT. It’s a point Jodi drives home on TikTok just about every day.
“Throughout this entire journey I’ve had so many people reach out saying I’m saying what they’re feeling,” she said. “There are so many people struggling with cancer. By putting this out there, people feel less alone, and they learn things too, and I learn from them. I feel like this has tremendously helped us.”
Follow Jodi McNamara’s “Diary of a Caregiver” at www.tiktok.com/@sweptunderthewelcomemat.
To contribute to the GoFundMe campaign for the McNamara family, visit www.GoFundMe.com and search for “Help Fund Brian McNamara aka ‘Coach Mac’ Medical Costs.”
Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
Clinton Mora is a reporter for Trending Insurance News. He has previously worked for the Forbes. As a contributor to Trending Insurance News, Clinton covers emerging a wide range of property and casualty insurance related stories.