Marshall Allen, Fearless Advocate for Health Care Reform and Journalist, dies at 52

Just last Friday, we republished Marshall Allen’s revealing interview with a former hospital executive, and just two weeks ago, Marshall and I talked about how we could collaborate more to advance our work on behalf of patients who’ve been denied care or charged way too much for it.

It never occurred to me that that would be our last conversation. Marshall died of a heart attack on Sunday, leaving me and his legions of other fans stunned. 

A former investigative reporter for ProPublica and a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize during his time at the Las Vegas Sun, Marshall took a break from reporting to work for the OIG. But he couldn’t stay away from writing about our unfair health care system and helping people navigate it. Soon after his book, “Never Pay the First Bill: And Other Ways to Fight the Health Care System and Win” was published, Marshall launched the Allen Health Academy newsletter. 

He was one of the most compassionate people I’ve ever met, and it was a privilege to call him a friend. We talked frequently when he was a reporter, mostly about health care but often about religion and spirituality, interests we both shared. Before his career in journalism, Marshall received a master’s degree in theology and spent five years in full-time ministry, including three years in Nairobi, Kenya.

Our mutual friend and fellow author, Marty Makary, wrote this on LinkedIn soon after he passed away:  

A true man of God, Marshall embodied pure compassion in everything he did and impressed us all. He always put others first, was a bold patient advocate, and always gave God the glory…Marshall, we watched you fight tirelessly for the voiceless and become a fierce advocate for the defenseless – a fight many will continue. 

Another mutual friend and contributor to this newsletter, Chris Deacon, wrote this: 

If you were lucky enough to have ever met Marshall or stood in his presence while he shared his light, you would know that before you was a man of integrity and passion. But Marshall would never be content to let his flame burn alone, he sought to ignite in others the same passion and hope he had for a better future. 

You can be certain that Marshall’s many friends and former colleagues will find ways to keep his work going and honor his legacy. One of the things HEALTH CARE un-covered will do is repost some of his articles, all of which offer insights into how to fight back against an unwarranted bill that should have been covered by insurance or never been sent in the first place. 

For more about Marshall and the vital work he did, read this obituary by his former colleagues at ProPublica. To support Marshall’s family during this time, head to the GoFundMe set up in his remembrance.