Meet Annie C.

Annie is 92. Opening a jar had become a struggle. She has end-stage osteoarthritis in her hands. Pills, injections, and physical therapy had all failed. Surgery was no longer an option at her age. Holding her grandchild hurt.

Her radiation oncologist treated both hands with a course of low-dose radiotherapy (LDRT). The dose is a small fraction of what is used for cancer. The treatment takes a few minutes per visit and has no recovery time. For the first time in twenty years, she was pain-free.

Starting November 1, 2026, eviCore, which reviews radiation therapy requests for Cigna and other health plans, plans to deny low-dose radiotherapy for benign conditions as not medically necessary. A patient like Annie, on a plan that uses eviCore, will be told no.

Now penny-pinching benefits managers and their parent insurance companies want to take that away — not because Annie's care failed, but because LDRT is being rediscovered in the United States, and they treat care for patients like her as a "medical loss."

Annie C. is a composite drawn from real patients. Details are changed to protect privacy.

The larger problem

Elderly patients living with osteoarthritis often face pain, limited mobility, and few remaining treatment options. For some, medically indicated LDRT — used outside of cancer care — is one of the last practical avenues their physicians can offer.

Yet too often, insurance benefit managers and payers deny, delay, or obstruct coverage, leaving patients and physicians fighting a system that prioritizes short-term cost control over access to care. That is not an abstract policy debate. It is people like Annie — older, vulnerable, and finally finding relief being told that the treatment that worked for them is expendable.

What we are doing about it

Radiotherapy Access Alliance, Inc. ("RAA") is a Florida not-for-profit corporation (Florida Doc N26000012003; principal office in Winter Park, FL).

RAA exists to ensure and maintain access to non-oncologic radiotherapy — including LDRT for conditions such as osteoarthritis for patients and physicians, and to promote and protect the common business and professional interests of radiation oncologists and allied radiation oncology professionals through advocacy, education, and litigation.

We are raising money to fund that fight: organized pushback against unjust coverage barriers, clear education for clinicians and stakeholders, and the professional and legal capacity to challenge denials and policies that withhold access from patients like Annie C.

Why this GoFundMe

Membership dues and corporate support will be part of RAA's long-term model. Right now we need early runway to move faster than invoices alone allow:

Document and challenge coverage denials and restrictive benefit policies that block LDRT access

• Educate physicians, practices, and patients' advocates about access pathways and barriers

• Build advocacy and, where appropriate, litigation capacity in furtherance of RAA's mission

• Stand up basic operations so the alliance can act as a durable voice for access

Goal: $50,000.

Net proceeds after GoFundMe's transaction fee (currently about 2.9% + $0.30 per donation in the U.S. for personal/organization fundraisers; optional tips to GoFundMe) will go to RAA's operating and advocacy work.

IRS status (please read)

On September 23, 2026, RAA filed and paid Form 1024 on Pay.gov seeking recognition as a 501(c)(6) organization (Pay.gov Tracking 28687IID / Agency Tracking 77519390965). That application is pending. We are not claiming the IRS has already granted tax-exempt recognition.

Important: Contributions to a 501(c)(6) organization are generally not tax-deductible as charitable contributions. They may be deductible as ordinary and necessary business expenses — ask your tax advisor. RAA is happy to provide documentation of its Florida not-for-profit formation and Form 1024 filing seeking 501(c)(6) recognition, and the IRS determination letter once issued. This campaign does not offer charitable tax receipts and is not a 501(c)(3) charity fundraiser.

How funds will be used

Gifts pay for the legal challenge to eviCore's November 1 exclusion and for the Alliance's operating costs. Money for the lawsuit is held in a separate account and used only for legal fees and costs. Board-directed use of funds for RAA's mission, including:

• Advocacy against coverage barriers that withhold LDRT and related non-oncologic radiotherapy access

Education and communications for clinicians, practices, and stakeholders

Professional and legal capacity for advocacy and litigation consistent with RAA's purposes

Organizational setup and ordinary operating expenses of a Florida not-for-profit business league

Annie C. is included as a privacy-protected representative vignette (congruent with a real patient's course; identifying details changed) to explain why this fight matters. We will not invent outcomes, claim that LDRT cures everyone, or misrepresent RAA's IRS status. Our work is professional advocacy for access — serious, transparent, and focused on the people who need options.

How to help

• Give on this page if you support access to medically indicated LDRT for elderly osteoarthritis patients like Annie C. and others who face coverage walls

Radiation oncologists and allied professionals: inquire about membership

Practices and industry stakeholders: inquire about corporate / associate participation

Thank you for standing with patients, physicians, and a profession that refuses to accept "coverage denied" — or "medical loss" — as the last word on care.

— Radiotherapy Access Alliance, Inc.