Sheer Stories: How Sheer Health Helped Ryan Law Overturn an Insurance Denial and Keep His Care

In July 2018, a diving accident left Ryan Law paralyzed from the chest down. He depends on daily skilled nursing care to live safely at home. For years, his insurer covered 16 hours of care a day — until they suddenly denied coverage, claiming that his care was no longer medically necessary.

Ryan hadn’t regained movement in his body or the ability to care for himself. His medical needs hadn’t changed. Yet his health plan suddenly denied the care he depended on to live safely.

When Ryan tried to appeal, his insurer denied him again—and what’s worse than a denial, was that the explanation contained medical information about an entirely different patient. After seeing Sheer Health on CBS Sunday Morning, Ryan sent us one email. He never had to deal with his health insurance again.

We helped him get his care back—and secured 10 additional hours of home health aide care every day. Here’s how.

The First Denial: Essential Care Suddenly Deemed Unnecessary

Paralyzed from the chest down, Ryan relies every day on skilled nurses to keep him safe in his own home. He can’t care for himself without these nurses.

His insurer notified his care team that his 16 daily hours of skilled nursing would no longer be covered. After years of receiving this care, Ryan suddenly faced the possibility of losing all of it.

His paralysis hadn't changed. The care he needed hadn't changed. But the insurance company decided that it was no longer medically necessary.

Ryan and his family were left trying to understand how care that had been covered for years could suddenly be taken away, and what they could do to change the plan’s decision. They hadn’t asked for anything new. They were only trying to renew what he already had.

A Denial That Didn't Even Get the Facts Right

Ryan tried to handle the appeal himself. He challenged the decision, hoping to restore the coverage he depended on.

His insurance company denied his appeal. Even worse, the denial letter described a different patient, including medical details about a feeding tube and seizures that did not apply to Ryan.

The health plan upheld a decision threatening Ryan's essential care while referencing someone else's medical information.

Ryan was already living with a life-changing disability. Now he had to fight an insurance company just to keep the care that made living safely at home possible.

He shouldn't have to become an expert in insurance appeals to protect his own care. But navigating that system was now another burden placed on him and his family.

One Email Changed Everything

Ryan’s family had seen Sheer Health featured on CBS Sunday Morning. After struggling to resolve the denial himself, he reached out to us.

One email enabled Ryan to fight back. He no longer had to navigate the insurance system alone.

Sheer Health worked to challenge the denial and restore his skilled nursing coverage. We also identified a separate authorization pathway for home health aide care, allowing us to pursue additional hours beyond the nursing care Ryan had previously received.

My family and I were instantly made aware of the expertise Sheer Health had in cases just like mine. - Ryan Law

We didn’t stop at getting back what Ryan had lost. We fought for more.

More Care. Less Fighting the System.

Ryan regained all 16 hours of daily skilled nursing care, and we secured an additional 10 hours of home health aide care each day.

They were vital in helping us prepare all the documents needed to submit an extensive appeal. The Sheer Health support team provided my doctor with all-inclusive points regarding my case and the reasons the skilled nursing hours should be restored. - Ryan Law

After facing the possibility of losing his nursing care entirely, Ryan ended up with 26 hours of daily care between skilled nursing and home health aide services.

The outcome wasn't just an overturned insurance denial. It was more of the care Ryan needed to live safely at home and one less fight for him and his family to face alone.

Ryan's story exposes a fundamental problem with health insurance: people can be forced to fight for medically necessary care even when their underlying medical needs haven't changed. Denial letters, confusing appeals, and administrative errors can leave patients and families struggling to protect the care they depend on every day.

Getting necessary care shouldn't require a second job of navigating insurance. And people living with serious medical conditions shouldn't have to fight their insurers on top of everything else they're already facing.

That’s why Sheer Health exists.

We help people to be knowledgeable about their health insurance, proactively monitor their claims for potential errors, expertly navigate denials, and appeal decisions when coverage is at stake. We take on the complexity of health insurance so people can spend less time fighting the system and more time focusing on their health.

What stood out most to Patti and Ryan wasn't just the outcome. It was not having to fight it alone.

Sheer Health knew exactly what approach was needed, and in doing so relieved the stressful experience of trying to handle another appeal process that was denied. I would recommend Sheer Health, with complete confidence, to anyone in need of excellent guidance in this kind of situation. - Patti Law, Ryan's mother

"I Don't Have to Think About That Anymore”

Ryan put it simply: "My family and I are done living in fear that my insurance will one day decline all services. I don't know where we would be without Sheer Health today. What I do know is, I don't have to think about that anymore."

Facing a health insurance denial? Sheer Health helps you be knowledgeable about your benefits, make the most of your coverage, and save on healthcare costs. Learn more here.

Never deal with health insurance again. Let Sheer handle the complexity so you can focus on what matters: your health.

Ryan's story is the first video episode of Sheer Stories, where we share the real experiences of people navigating health insurance—and how getting the right help can change the outcome.