How an Administrative Error Left a Dying Child Uninsured
Keegan Bradley was 13 years old when she passed away in August 2025. She loved writing songs, playing soccer, dancing, and spending time with her friends. She brought warmth into every room she entered and had a gift for making people feel seen.
Keegan believed no one should feel alone and that everyone deserves a friend. Even in her final days, she made space for laughter and connection. To her family, she was the perfect addition—someone who kept them young, joyful, and grounded in love.
Elizebeth and her husband obtained custody of Keegan shortly after Keegan’s first birthday and officially adopted her in 2020. From the beginning, the Bradleys stayed on top of every detail: they notified TennCare that they had custody of Keegan and made sure her insurance information remained up to date. Keegan had never been without coverage—until January 2025, when the family took her to the doctor for her foot and learned she was uninsured.
The family paid out of pocket for the appointment while Elizebeth immediately began trying to restore Keegan’s coverage. Following a series of subsequent doctor visits, TennCare denied Keegan repeatedly, leaving the family to fight for answers.
In the middle of the insurance fight, Keegan was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. Treatment needed to begin immediately, but without active TennCare coverage, the family’s options were severely limited.
“No parent should have to sit in the hospital with their dying kid and have to wonder how the bills are going to get paid,” Elizebeth said. T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital at Erlanger ultimately accepted the Bradleys into its Charity Care program, allowing Keegan to receive the care she needed despite the continued lack of help from TennCare.
The Bradleys were surrounded by a strong support system of friends, family, and the T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital staff. “It was so great to have so many amazing people working with us, notwithstanding TennCare,” Elizebeth said.
Through it all, Keegan continued to bring joy to others. She joked with nurses, pranked doctors, and talked with friends from church as if nothing had changed. When she passed in the summer of 2025, she asked that her ashes be spread around the roots of a tree, like an apple tree, in front of the family’s home. She wanted to embody the fruits of the spirit; even after life, Keegan wanted to keep giving back.
In October 2025, Elizebeth received a letter stating that TennCare had accepted an appeal and granted the family a fair hearing. She did not remember filing another appeal. The family later learned that someone at the hospital had appealed on their behalf.
When Elizebeth dialed in for the hearing, the judge asked whether she had received the hearing packet. Elizebeth had no idea what the judge was referring to, so the family was granted a continuance to allow the packet to be mailed, but it arrived only six days before the rescheduled hearing.
That was when Elizebeth called TJC. After exhausting all other leads-- she reached out on a Friday, and Brant Harrell, TJC’s legal director, called her back by Monday. The hearing was postponed again so TJC could investigate what had gone wrong.
TJC’s investigation revealed that TennCare had been sending Keegan’s notices and letters to the wrong addresses all along. Of the three addresses identified for Keegan, none matched where the Bradleys had been living.
TJC helped correct the problem and secure reimbursement for the care the Bradleys had been forced to pay out of pocket. But even after that resolution, TennCare continued to make mistakes. Most recently, it sent the reimbursement receipt to Keegan’s biological mother and issued the check in Keegan’s name, making it impossible for the family to cash.
Keegan’s story is a call for accountability. Families should not have to fight bureaucracy while a child is seriously ill, and critical health coverage should never be jeopardized by preventable administrative errors. TennCare must ensure that notices reach the right families, appeals are handled clearly and promptly, and children receive the care they need when every day matters.
