Surfside Survivor Battles Insurance Company While Fighting Cancer

Pablo Langesfeld, who lost his daughter and son-in-law in the 2021 Champlain Towers collapse in Surfside, is now fighting a new battle — this time against stage four pancreatic cancer and an insurance company refusing to cover his treatment.

Langesfeld is suing Oscar Insurance Company for denying coverage of Avmapki Fakzynja, an anti-cancer drug combination costing $48,500 every three weeks. His oncologist prescribed it alongside weekly chemotherapy, but Oscar declined, citing that the drug isn’t FDA-approved for pancreatic cancer — only for ovarian cancer — and isn’t considered the standard of care for his condition.

“We don’t know how long he will live, but if his doctor recommends it, it’s for a reason,” said his son Martin. The trial began Monday in Miami. Martin framed it as an industry-wide problem: “I can assure you, many people can relate to denials and headaches.”