What problems can a petition solve? Healthcare and medication access issues

Healthcare access and affordability continues to be a top challenge for many in the U.S. One in five U.S. adults with health insurance through an employer, the Affordable Care Act, or a private insurer have had coverage denied in the past year. Those denials led to medical debt, treatment delays, and worsening conditions for a significant amount of those affected. 

Denials leave patients feeling helpless and confused about their options. Over half of people who were denied coverage didn’t appeal the decision due to uncertainty of their rights, if it would make a difference, and how the process works. However, on the bright side, recent data shows that when patients push back on insurance companies and appeal a denial, they often win.

Slow and arduous bureaucratic processes discourage many from the kind of pushback that actually works. But patients, families, and the clinicians who treat them have used petitions to reverse coverage denials, slow down service cuts, and restore medication access — in some cases, within weeks.

Discover how real people have used Change.org petitions to put pressure on insurance companies and healthcare institutions with lifesaving results.

Insurance denials

Health insurance claim denials are on the rise. From 2018 to 2024, denials increased by 16% and 20% of ACA marketplace claims were denied in 2023. Of people who experienced a doctor-authorized denial, 41% said it delayed care, 28% said their health problem worsened, and 63% said it caused worry or anxiety.

When an insurer overrides a treatment plan that multiple doctors have already approved, you have the building blocks for a strong argument that targets one decision-maker and a specific, urgent ask. This makes it hard for the people in power to ignore, especially when the issue is made public and backed by a group of supporters advocating for the solution.

Case study: Approve Deron Wells' lifesaving lung transplant 

Deron Wells, 48, was unanimously approved for a double lung transplant by doctors at two hospitals — his only chance of surviving lung cancer. Cigna denied coverage for the transplant itself and for the emergency medical transport that would get him to the hospital equipped to perform it.

His friend started a petition that directed one specific, urgent demand to one named company: reverse the denial, authorize the transport, and let Deron receive the care his own doctors had already approved. It reached 749 signatures and Cigna reversed its decision during the appeals process. The campaign credited the public pressure directly alongside the formal appeal for the victory, even with less than 1,000 signatures.

Hospital service cuts

A hospital eliminating a service line affects an entire community, not just one individual claim. This is a case where collective power and building a coalition wins, often led by the doctors and staff who work there along with the patients they treat.

Case study: Save trauma, stroke and heart programs at Regional Medical Center San Jose 

Regional Medical Center (RMC), owned by for-profit HCA Healthcare, was set to eliminate its trauma, comprehensive stroke, and STEMI cardiac programs. These are the only services of its kind on the entire east side of Santa Clara County, an area covering roughly a third of the county's population. A petition to stop the closure was backed from the start by RMC's own Medical Executive Committee, dozens of community physicians, elected officials, and 13 community organizations. It reached over 9,000 signatures.

The campaign provided a public education video, a flyer distribution network through community institutions (temples, churches, schools, workplaces), and an escalating series of public actions. Organizers planned a "Unity Rally" outside the hospital with hundreds of doctors, nurses, and residents attending, and a separate demonstration at HCA's other nearby hospital. 

Petition updates acknowledged the Attorney General and Governor's continued silence over the issue, and cited a prior lawsuit against HCA in another state as precedent. A stroke survivor and his wife spoke directly at the rally about what these programs meant for their lives.

HCA did not reverse the closure entirely, but announced a downgrade instead of a full elimination. Organizers described it as the first time in the hospital's history under HCA that a planned cut had been rolled back at all.

For the tactics behind organizing a coalition like this one — bringing in professional groups, elected officials, and community organizations together — see the community outreach strategies guide.

Medication coverage and prior-authorization delays

Two common problems are that a drug can be removed from what an insurer or pharmacy benefit manager covers at all, or it can technically remain covered while a prior-authorization process blocks access. More than half of commercially insured adults with a chronic or rare disease were told in the past year that their medication is no longer covered. Of those, 48% were referred to an outside program to get it anyway, causing delays. Those delays in treatment caused real harm to health or daily life for 92% of patients impacted. 

Across five of the largest U.S. insurers, patients who appealed a denied prior authorization succeeded roughly half the time on average — and as often as 9 in 10 times with some plans. This raises the question of why so many requests were denied in the first place. A petition adds public, documented pressure to that appeals process most people don't know they have the ability to use.

Case study: Stop CVS Caremark's Zepbound ban 

When CVS Caremark removed the obesity medication Zepbound from its list of standard covered medications, a physician assistant started a petition. The petition cited clinical trial data showing Zepbound's superior effectiveness and tolerability over alternatives, plus its unique FDA approval for treating obstructive sleep apnea. The petition ran for more than a year and reached over 18,000 signatures.

The campaign combined sustained public pressure with consistent calls for supporters to contact decision makers. Outreach included a written appeal to CVS Caremark's executive team, including its Chief Medical Officer, who eventually replied. National media coverage and a social media presence for the campaign followed. Supporters also crowd-sourced additional strategies that worked in other states.

More than a year after the petition started, CVS Caremark announced it would add Zepbound back as a covered option, alongside a new oral medication in the same drug class. The petition credited the sustained volume of signatures, comments, and patient stories directly for the victory. 

What made these campaigns work

These healthcare victories had particular elements that made them credible and persuasive:

A precise, named ask beats a general complaint. Every campaign here asked one specific decision-maker for one specific, checkable thing — approve this case, keep this designation level, add this drug back — rather than a broad appeal to "fix healthcare."

Clinical and professional backing carries real weight. Doctors' names, hospital committees, and cited clinical trial data gave each of these campaigns credibility that a purely personal account alone wouldn't have had.

Public pressure ran alongside the formal process, not instead of it. Deron Wells' campaign combined the petition with an active appeal. The Zepbound campaign combined it with a formal written appeal to named executives. The RMC campaign combined it with direct requests to the Attorney General and Governor. None of them treated the petition as a replacement for pursuing the actual channel.

Naming an institution's silence or deflection can be its own tactic. RMC's organizers explicitly called out officials who never responded. The Zepbound campaign published the company's actual reply in full rather than paraphrasing it favorably or unfavorably. Making the institution's own response (or lack of one) part of the public record kept the pressure specific and hard to spin.

Start where you are in your healthcare struggle

A denied claim or a cut program can feel like the decision has already been made and there's nothing left to do. These campaigns show otherwise. A specific, well-documented ask combined with the formal appeal you're already pursuing can create important change.

→ Start a petition

Frequently asked questions

Can a petition get an insurance company to reverse a coverage denial? Yes, especially when the case already has full medical backing and the ask is specific — reversing one denial, not changing a general policy. A relatively small, focused campaign can be enough when it's aimed at one company reviewing one case.

Can a petition stop a hospital from cutting services? It can slow or soften a cut, especially when it's backed by the hospital's own medical staff and community organizations rather than the affected community alone — though a full reversal is less common than a partial one (a downgrade instead of full elimination, for example).

Can a petition help with a prior authorization or medication coverage problem? Yes, particularly when combined with a direct formal appeal to the payer and, where possible, real information-sharing among patients about what specific documentation or alternative requests have worked for others.