ESCONDIDO, Calif. -- Blue Cross has denied a North County family's public plea to continue paying for their son's care at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, it was reported Thursday.

Earlier this week, the family of Mission Hills High student Scott Eveland had petitioned Blue Cross to reconsider its decision to pay only if the 18-year-old was moved to a less expensive long-term nursing home.

Eveland has been treated for a brain injury suffered during a football game in September and is in stable condition now but receives about three hours a day of rehabilitation. He was in a coma for about a month and has been cared for at Palomar since the accident happened.

Eveland's mother, Diane Luth, and one of his doctors at Palomar told reporters that they feared he'd receive only half the amount of rehabilitation care at a lesser care center.

Luth now says she will petition the state to override Blue Cross' decision, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Eveland was originally supposed to be moved this week but the company agreed to continuing paying for his care at Palomar until the appeals process was completed.

It is not known whether the company will continue to pay for Palomar while the state's petition process is conducted.