TAMPA, Fla. — The past few years have been tough for Heather Curley.
“In 2022, I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, stage 4,” said Heather.
Breast cancer that had spread.
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“It spread to my axillary and mammary lymph nodes, my thyroid, my stomach, my spleen, my kidney, and my liver. And my whole skeletal, from my skull to my femur, and every bone in between,” said Heather.
Then the next year, it spread to her spinal cord fluid, another stage 4 cancer diagnosis, and it was terminal.
“It was devastating,” said Heather.
Devastating because she told Tampa Bay 28 that the prognosis is usually 2-4 months of life with treatment, and just a couple of weeks without treatment.
Then she met her doctor at Moffitt Cancer Center, who specializes in her rare disease.
She took part in a vaccine trial where she was only the second patient to do it, now it’s been 2 and half years.
“I’m a walking miracle. Like I shouldn’t be here,” said Heather.
She and her daughter, Palmer, sat down with Tampa Bay 28 reporter, Larissa Scott, to share Heather’s story.
While Heather continues treatments every week at Moffitt, she is now trying to figure out how to pay for them.
That’s because her insurance plan will soon no longer be in-network at Moffitt.
“I can’t pay out of pocket. I think one of my treatments is $67,000. I’m at a million dollars by June,” said Heather.
Starting July 1, Moffitt Cancer Center will become out of network for Humana Medicare Advantage PPO and HMO plans.
The same thing happened with individual Aetna Medicare Advantage Plans back on December 1, 2025.
That means for these affected plans, Moffitt will still see patients, but on an out-of-network basis.
“I can’t go a week without insurance. Like I’m at Moffitt getting treatment all the time,” said Heather.
Tampa Bay 28 reached out to Moffitt, Humana, and Aetna. Here are their responses:
Moffitt:
While Moffitt remains a clinical Institute of Excellence in Aetna’s networks, Aetna made a business decision to terminate Moffitt’s participation in its Medicare Advantage network beginning Dec. 1, 2025. Moffitt is seeing Aetna Medicare Advantage patients moving forward on an out-of-network basis. This change affects Aetna Medicare Advantage patients only, and Moffitt remains in network for other Aetna commercial/HMO/PPO and Medicaid Managed Care plans.
Effective July 1, 2026, Moffitt will become out of network for Humana Medicare Advantage PPO and HMO Plans. This change is the result of a decision by Humana to terminate its agreement with Moffitt for business reasons that are unrelated to the quality of care provided by Moffitt. This change affects Humana Medicare Advantage patients only, and Moffitt Cancer Center plans remain in network with Humana Medicaid Managed Care plans. Moffitt will continue to see Humana Medicare Advantage patients in-network until the end of 2026 through Continuity of Care provisions.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services allows changes throughout the Medicare Advantage open enrollment season, which runs through March 31, 2026. For more information, visit Medicare.gov or call 1-800-633-4227.
Humana:
Moffitt Health System and Moffitt Cancer Center will be out-of-network for Humana Medicare Advantage members beginning July 1, 2026. Humana remains deeply committed to ensuring our members have access to high-quality, affordable care. Our partnerships with healthcare providers are central to delivering this commitment.
We understand that potential changes may cause concern for our members. Our primary goal is to keep members informed, supported, and provide personalized assistance to help members transition to other in-network providers. We are especially focused on ensuring continuity of care, particularly for those currently undergoing treatment or managing chronic conditions. Members with questions or in need of assistance can contact Humana’s toll-free customer support line listed on the back of their insurance card.
Aetna:
As of December 1, Moffitt Cancer Center is no longer in network for our individual Medicare Advantage plans but continues to participate in existing employer-sponsored Commercial and Group Medicare Advantage plans. Previously, Aetna was only one of a few Medicare Advantage plans that had Moffitt Cancer Center participating and we had to ensure we could offer competitive benefits that seniors deserve.
As part of our robust provider network in the Tampa Bay area, we have lots of other cancer care providers available to care for our members. We are available to help members who have questions, and they can reach us by calling the number on their membership ID card.
For Heather, her care is so specialized that she can’t go anywhere but Moffitt.
“I’m too sick to go anywhere else with the leptomeningeal carcinoma,” said Heather.
“On top of everything else that I’m going through, like insurance should not be one of the biggest stressors of my life right now, and it is,” she added.
It’s keeping her up at night.
“I’m fighting for my life every day. I don’t need to be fighting insurance companies,” Heather.
But she is going to keep fighting.
Heather told Tampa Bay 28 her story as her daughter, Palmer, watched her closely.
“I think that she’s learned to be brave and strong,” said Heather.
Because she isn’t giving up, with Palmer as her motivation.
“Everything that I do in my back of mind is for her. Every decision I make, and every morning I wake up for her. I don’t think I’d be fighting this hard if it wasn’t for her,” said Heather.
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