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Post by fkawitchypea on Jul 4, 2016 14:44:47 GMT
I think insurance companies regularly deny these claims. I have heard of this happening over and over. My brother was in a car accident when he was 18 and broke his neck. We live about 45 minutes from the nearest trauma center. An ambulance was called to transport him to the nearest place a helicopter could land (he was in the woods) that was about 1/4 mile away. The insurance paid that but refused the medflight charge. At the time (and this was about 15 years ago) it was a $30K bill. My parents fought it. They appealed, had the HR department from the city my father worked for fought it and eventually they paid. Good luck to you and don't give up!
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SabrinaP
Pearl Clutcher
Busy Teacher Pea
Posts: 4,350
Location: Dallas Texas
Jun 26, 2014 12:16:22 GMT
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Post by SabrinaP on Jul 22, 2016 19:03:14 GMT
BTT for the small update in the OP
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Jul 22, 2016 19:24:17 GMT
I don't have advice for your specific situation, but I can certainly empathize as we had a 30k helicopter bill too. Our insurance company denied the claim for bogus reasons - we had letters written by the doctor refuting their denials and we filed appeals. On our second appeal our employer got involved and told the insurance company they had to accept our claim. We still had a significant portion to pay the helicopter company and got a 20% discount by paying in full.
In looking into options I found that NY state is excellent for helping mediate with insurance companies, although we didn't apply given we were insured by my employer. I would look into what your state has to offer in terms of mediation.
I understand the cost of having helicopters and trained pilots/staff on standby is expensive and obviously we were going to pay for a service we used. What frustrated me was that from what I read, the cost of the bills are so high because so many people don't pay. I'm happy to pay for my service, but was not keen on a 30k bill to pay for everybody else.
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Post by leslie132 on Jul 22, 2016 19:27:09 GMT
When I delivered our daughter, and she was life-flighted to a different hospital we had the exact same thing happen. I came home from the hospital empty handed, and had to deal with that bill first thing. I had to have several appointments for my incision and when my doctor heard about this bill they handled it. We never paid a dime.....I hope you have the same outcome.
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Post by bc2ca on Jul 22, 2016 19:41:14 GMT
In early October, I fell down some dark deck stairs while vacation with my family and had to be taken by helicopter because the nearest hospital was 1 1/2 hours away. I shattered my tibia, so I needed surgery to repair. At the time, my family was concerned that I had hit my head and was going into shock, so the ambulance was called. The ambulance company took my to the helicopter and off we went. We got a bill for $42,000 from the helicopter company after my insurance denied it the first time, but they asked for my permission to fight the insurance company on it. I hadn't heard anything in months, so I thought all was fine. Today I got a letter to call the helicopter's self pay line because they were not able to come to an agreement with insurance. Ug! Where do I start? Call the insurance company? I'm at my max out of pocket with this accident, so they would have to pay 100%. This bill is stressing us out! Update: Insurance denied the bill because the helicopter is out of network. I argued that obviously there is no way to choose a helicopter. Going out of network was not a choice in this situation. I hit a wall with insurance. Called the helicopter company and they knocked the bill down to $13,000 if we pay it in the next 30 days or $281 a month for the next 5 years. DH and I contacted the Texas Department of Insurance and are first going to get them to mediate with the insurance company on our behalf. The helicopter company said we could pay $25 a month to keep the account current, so we will do that for now and keep trying to get it worked out. So now a $42,000 bill is a $13,000 bill. Better, but combined with my max out of pocket of $7,000 that we have from the hospital and everything else associated with this accident, and DH and I are struggling. Prayers and positive thoughts are greatly appreciated! What a nightmare . According to this story from ABC in March, the $13,000 is in line with the actual cost of the service. Honestly, I feel sorry for both the consumer and the insurance company when the only choice is a for profit helicopter service. SaveSave
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Post by shescrafty on Jul 22, 2016 20:32:57 GMT
I am so sorry you are having to deal with this. My daughters medical bills were over $3 million dollars. We constantly are going back and forth with the hospital and insurance double billing us or billing with the wrong codes. We just for another bill today with a random date in November and a doctors name and $1300 owed. Our actual insurance company has been excellent to deal with, but the hospital is a nightmare.
I hope you are able to get things worked out! Good luck!
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Post by meridon on Jul 22, 2016 20:34:05 GMT
There should be some sort of insurance board in your state. I would check with them--call or email the insurance commissioner for your state.
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CeeScraps
Pearl Clutcher
~~occupied entertaining my brain~~
Posts: 3,827
Jun 26, 2014 12:56:40 GMT
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Post by CeeScraps on Jul 22, 2016 20:39:53 GMT
Info for insurance company....YOU had NO choice in the matter. The emergency responders made the call to have a helicopter pick you up due to your emergency condition.
You were unable to speak to them to tell them "no" due to your injury.
Something like that. I had to fight insurance a couple of times. Once with my dh and his room in the hospital due to his chemo and pneumonia.
The other time was when our dd was taken to the hospital by the paramedics. I was at a picnic with her. She was 2 months old. The paramedics were at the picnic. Our dd was uncharacteristically crying. She wouldn't settle down. She hadn't done that at all in her short life. The paramedics looked her over in their truck. They couldn't figure it out either. They said that we should go to the hospital. I DID NOT MAKE THE DECISION. THE PROFESSIONALS did.
Both times the insurance didn't like it, but I won. I won because it was NOT my choice for my dh to get a private room (that's all the hospital had in the oncology wing). It was not my choice to take our dd to the ER. It was the paramedic's.
Fight it that way with insurance. They won't like it, but tough.
**Oh yes, the chemo/oncology issue they threatened to take me to a collection office. Well, I had taken enough notes on the phone to throw it back in their face. Document everything with date/time and who you speak to.
It may take awhile but YOU DIDN'T have a choice!!
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SabrinaP
Pearl Clutcher
Busy Teacher Pea
Posts: 4,350
Location: Dallas Texas
Jun 26, 2014 12:16:22 GMT
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Post by SabrinaP on Jul 22, 2016 20:49:00 GMT
Thank you to everyone who has responded so far! It's so stressful! My husband and I are both teachers and pay almost $1000 per month for our family's insurance. I fully expected to hit my max out of pocket which was close to $7000, but to be hit with this huge bill has sent us over! I'm super hopeful that the Texas Insurance Board can help us mediate with our insurance company. Otherwise, the helicopter company may be getting $25 a month for the rest of our lives.
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Post by meridon on Jul 22, 2016 20:57:57 GMT
Thank you to everyone who has responded so far! It's so stressful! My husband and I are both teachers and pay almost $1000 per month for our family's insurance. I fully expected to hit my max out of pocket which was close to $7000, but to be hit with this huge bill has sent us over! I'm super hopeful that the Texas Insurance Board can help us mediate with our insurance company. Otherwise, the helicopter company may be getting $25 a month for the rest of our lives. I hope you can get some help from the insurance board! Are you or your DH in your teachers' union? If so, check with them as well. You may be able to get some legal representation or talk with a lawyer about how to prepare for the mediation, etc. Also, once you finally know how much you will have to pay, maybe your faculty or DH's faculty would have some sort of fundraiser to help defray your costs. My DH and I are also both teachers and our faculties helped us with funds for our adoption expenses.
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Post by christine58 on Jul 22, 2016 21:41:58 GMT
The homeowner's insurance should be taking care of this bill. Have you talked to them?
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Post by Blind Squirrel on Jul 22, 2016 21:57:23 GMT
I'm sorry you are faced with this.
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Post by mikklynn on Jul 22, 2016 23:45:05 GMT
I'm glad you have someone going to bat for you. Good luck!
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ginacivey
Pearl Clutcher
refupea #2 in southeast missouri
Posts: 4,685
Jun 25, 2014 19:18:36 GMT
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Post by ginacivey on Jul 23, 2016 0:16:27 GMT
my question is why they flew you for a broken leg?
i know protocol is to fly for a broken femur but i'm surprised about the tibia
i live 90 minutes from any hospital worth a shit
and know of ambulances hauling people all the way up to the city - some with much more severe injuries - not life threatening of course - but ambulances make the trip all the time
i know it's neither here nor there...but i'm truly curious
gina
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 14, 2024 4:22:42 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2016 0:47:43 GMT
The update is encouraging. I hope you can get the bill down even further by reaching a compromise with the insurance company. Best of luck to you!!
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SabrinaP
Pearl Clutcher
Busy Teacher Pea
Posts: 4,350
Location: Dallas Texas
Jun 26, 2014 12:16:22 GMT
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Post by SabrinaP on Jul 23, 2016 1:00:23 GMT
my question is why they flew you for a broken leg? i know protocol is to fly for a broken femur but i'm surprised about the tibia i live 90 minutes from any hospital worth a shit and know of ambulances hauling people all the way up to the city - some with much more severe injuries - not life threatening of course - but ambulances make the trip all the time i know it's neither here nor there...but i'm truly curious gina They had no way of knowing what was broken. They were afraid that I was going into shock and had hit my head. I wasn't making a lot of sense. A lot of what happened is a complete blur. I didn't just break my tibia, it was completely shattered. I had to have surgery and place several pins and a plate. I was completely non-weight bearing for 12 weeks.
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Jul 23, 2016 1:41:25 GMT
Thank you to everyone who has responded so far! It's so stressful! My husband and I are both teachers and pay almost $1000 per month for our family's insurance. I fully expected to hit my max out of pocket which was close to $7000, but to be hit with this huge bill has sent us over! I'm super hopeful that the Texas Insurance Board can help us mediate with our insurance company. Otherwise, the helicopter company may be getting $25 a month for the rest of our lives. I hope they can help too! When something like this happens it's easy to understand how one medical emergency or sickness can really derail a family.
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ginacivey
Pearl Clutcher
refupea #2 in southeast missouri
Posts: 4,685
Jun 25, 2014 19:18:36 GMT
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Post by ginacivey on Jul 23, 2016 12:52:33 GMT
my question is why they flew you for a broken leg? i know protocol is to fly for a broken femur but i'm surprised about the tibia i live 90 minutes from any hospital worth a shit and know of ambulances hauling people all the way up to the city - some with much more severe injuries - not life threatening of course - but ambulances make the trip all the time i know it's neither here nor there...but i'm truly curious gina They had no way of knowing what was broken. They were afraid that I was going into shock and had hit my head. I wasn't making a lot of sense. A lot of what happened is a complete blur. I didn't just break my tibia, it was completely shattered. I had to have surgery and place several pins and a plate. I was completely non-weight bearing for 12 weeks. i understand i sure hate that you are dealing with this!
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Post by txdancermom on Jul 23, 2016 13:01:29 GMT
keep fighting.. how the heck are you supposed to know (or even care) if something in an emergency is in or out of network! And yes,maybe a lawyer is the way to go - at least one to write a very stern letter to the insurance company
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momto4kiddos
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,151
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:15 GMT
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Post by momto4kiddos on Jul 23, 2016 13:10:24 GMT
I hope you can get them to cover the bill, it's unreal to me that they routinely deny out of network things in emergencies. ds was 7 hours away from home when he became very ill this spring so he went to a walk-in and later the ER. He's getting bills from it from the hospital because so far the insurance has denied it due to being out of network. Thankfully the bills are under a thousand so not a huge deal, but it's annoying...get sick in network or we won't cover you? Can't remember what he told me but they are reviewing it to see if they'll cover it. Hoping you'll have good news soon.
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Post by worrywart on Jul 23, 2016 13:59:59 GMT
Geez, I would keep fighting the insurance company on this one. In the meantime, pay the 25 per month and if the insurance company won't budge...that is what I would do forever 25 a month. The fact that they even billed you $42,000 in the first place would be enough for them to not be endeared to my heart.
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Post by hdoublej on Jul 23, 2016 16:35:15 GMT
Oh how frustrating!! I pray it all works out!
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 14, 2024 4:22:42 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2016 17:09:35 GMT
Your post has me looking into medical air lift insurance which is surprisingly inexpensive. DH likes to mountain bike and even though our insurance does cover it, it won't cover all of it. I just need to figure out which provider to go with as there are several who operate in our state.
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Post by snugglebutter on Jul 23, 2016 18:38:09 GMT
Your post has me looking into medical air lift insurance which is surprisingly inexpensive. DH likes to mountain bike and even though our insurance does cover it, it won't cover all of it. I just need to figure out which provider to go with as there are several who operate in our state. My grandparents started buying this for everyone in the family after one of their friends had a similar bill years ago. (I'm from a small town that is not close to major hospitals) I now live in the same metroplex as the OP so I don't think about this as much but probably should because of vacations. (including when we go back to my hometown)
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Post by Really Red on Jul 23, 2016 18:50:37 GMT
I know you are going to mediation, but I honestly think you need to get a lawyer involved in this one. I am so sorry. This is a huge problem and I'm sorry you're going through it.
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mochi
Full Member
Posts: 449
Jun 26, 2014 1:45:16 GMT
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Post by mochi on Jul 23, 2016 23:14:54 GMT
Oh my gosh! That is just awful and so horribly stressful! I wish I had some good advice.
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Post by anniefb on Jul 24, 2016 1:06:55 GMT
keep fighting.. how the heck are you supposed to know (or even care) if something in an emergency is in or out of network! And yes,maybe a lawyer is the way to go - at least one to write a very stern letter to the insurance company
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Post by cade387 on Jul 24, 2016 5:54:19 GMT
Sorry if I missed it, but who owns the property where you fell?
Also, I personally wouldn't pay a dime until you speak with a lawyer. Even one payment will show that you have accepted the debt.
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M in Carolina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,128
Jun 29, 2014 12:11:41 GMT
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Post by M in Carolina on Jul 24, 2016 6:15:52 GMT
Why isn't the insurance of whomever owns the vacation property paying? I agree that you need to talk to a lawyer. I'd want to make sure that I'd get whatever I paid to the life flight company back and that agreeing to a monthly amount wouldn't be like I was accepting that this bill was my responsibility and keep the other insurance companies from paying The state insurance overseer should work this out. I've used them before with good results. I once had my urologist's office try to get me to pay a $30k bill for a surgery. They didn't submit the bill to my insurance company within the 18 month period, so my insurance refused it. So they tried to make me think it was my responsibility. I've also gotten the "out of network" think through ER visits. Hospital is in network, but one ER doctor or the LAB wasn't in network. Like you have a choice. So when I refused to pay, and they put it on my credit, I refuted it. And it was taken off my credit report. These companies charge you because enough people don't understand that they're not responsible for those charges. And that if you challenge the charges that they'll be removed. "oh, ooops. Our mistake, you shouldn't have been charged for this."
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mlana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,523
Jun 27, 2014 19:58:15 GMT
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Post by mlana on Jul 24, 2016 22:22:18 GMT
In early October, I fell down some dark deck stairs while vacation with my family and had to be taken by helicopter because the nearest hospital was 1 1/2 hours away. I shattered my tibia, so I needed surgery to repair. At the time, my family was concerned that I had hit my head and was going into shock, so the ambulance was called. The ambulance company took my to the helicopter and off we went. We got a bill for $42,000 from the helicopter company after my insurance denied it the first time, but they asked for my permission to fight the insurance company on it. I hadn't heard anything in months, so I thought all was fine. Today I got a letter to call the helicopter's self pay line because they were not able to come to an agreement with insurance. Ug! Where do I start? Call the insurance company? I'm at my max out of pocket with this accident, so they would have to pay 100%. This bill is stressing us out! Update: Insurance denied the bill because the helicopter is out of network. I argued that obviously there is no way to choose a helicopter. Going out of network was not a choice in this situation. I hit a wall with insurance. Called the helicopter company and they knocked the bill down to $13,000 if we pay it in the next 30 days or $281 a month for the next 5 years. DH and I contacted the Texas Department of Insurance and are first going to get them to mediate with the insurance company on our behalf. The helicopter company said we could pay $25 a month to keep the account current, so we will do that for now and keep trying to get it worked out. So now a $42,000 bill is a $13,000 bill. Better, but combined with my max out of pocket of $7,000 that we have from the hospital and everything else associated with this accident, and DH and I are struggling. Prayers and positive thoughts are greatly appreciated! By chance, have you checked to see if there was an in-network helicopter service for that area? If there was, could you find out from them if they had a helicopter available at the time of your accident? If they didn't have one available, you might have an argument that the one used for your services was used because of lack of coverage or availability by one covered by your insurance. Also, you might ask how the service used in your case was chosen. Where we live, there are several air ambulance services and the dispatch asks first if you have insurance coverage and with whom and tries to assign a service that your insurance will automatically cover. If none of those services are available, a non-covered one will be assigned and you will be provided with an explanation of why that service was chosen upon request. I'm really sorry that you are going thru this. Please stay on it! Your insurance company is in the wrong here. Marcy
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