Action 9

Action 9 investigates sky-high air ambulance bills

A Winter Park couple are being chased by bill collectors after being hit with a sky-high air ambulance bill.
They never expected a $38,000 charge, and their insurance refuses to cover most of it.
That's why they contacted Action 9's Todd Ulrich, who's been investigating this company for similar big bill complaints.
Ann Martin is recovering from her stroke. But Martin and her husband, Allan, are still haunted by the $38,000 medical bill for her 10-mile air ambulance trip from Dr. Phillips to Orlando Health downtown.
At first Allan Martin thought it had to be a bad mistake, “And I'm not even paying attention to it. Just didn't give it a second thought.”
The Martins got a bill from Air Methods, the country's biggest medical chopper service. The couple’s insurance paid $4,500. But since it's an out of network charge, there's no discount and they were told they owe the rest.
Allan Martin said that day doctors said it was urgent, “There's a helicopter on the pad. Let's get her to ORMC as soon as possible.”
He said no one disclosed it was out of network. And now a collection agency is demanding the $3,400 balance.
“I assumed once they got this, the rest of it would be written off,” Martin said.
Since 2015, Action 9 has helped three other families who felt slammed by air ambulance bills. All involved the same company. Air Methods had charged them $30,000 to $50,000 for flights.
After contacting the company, it erased a Rockledge family's $40,000 bill after insurance.
Air Methods’ prices have soared. A report by the Government Accountability Office found its average chopper flight cost $13,000 in 2007 but that jumped to nearly $50,000 in 2016.
The FAA regulates medical helicopter companies. Last month Congress considered adding some consumer protections to control sky high billing.
Ulrich contacted Air Methods about the Martins’ $34,000 bill and said it was now under review.
“Once something like this happens we don't know where to turn,” Allan Martin said. “That's why we called you.”
Air Methods told Ulrich its mission is to deliver lifesaving care to anyone who needs it and it supports patients in the insurance appeals process.
For the first time, the company said its negotiating in-network agreements with insurance plans across the Southeast.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT from Doug Flanders, Spokesperson, Air Methods:
Federal health privacy laws prohibit us from commenting specifically on any case without the explicit written consent of a patient.
Our mission at Air Methods is to deliver emergency, lifesaving care to anyone who needs it, 24/7/365. Our advanced aircraft fleet and highly-trained clinicians and pilots act as first responders, and in many case, a critical link between hospitals for those patients who need more intensive care.
We are acutely aware of and sympathetic to the stress and financial difficulties large or unexpected medical bills cause many patients—not just those that require emergency air medical services. Our healthcare system is often over-complicated and opaque, and unfortunately, patients are often caught in the middle.
It’s for that reason that we proactively support patients by helping them navigate the insurance billing and appeals process through the Air Methods Patient Advocacy program, and provide them with the information they need to come to a financially sustainable resolution to their claim.
However, privacy regulations require patients to initiate communication with their health plans before our patient advocates can get involved.
More broadly, our company is continually working to integrate our critical care services as part of in-network benefits with health plans across the country. This furthers Air Methods’ focus to offer medical care and air transportation at affordable in-network rates to as many consumers as possible.
In-network coverage offers consumers a discounted, out-of-pocket payment for qualified services, which varies depending on their plan’s benefits. Staying in-network for their healthcare can help consumers avoid unexpected spending as well as balanced billing, which is the practice of the healthcare provider billing a patient for the difference between the plan’s reimbursement and the medical charges.
Air Methods has successfully negotiated or is close to finalizing in-network relationships with health plans in the South and Southeast. We have received assurances that on a case by case basis, patients flown by Air Methods prior to the effective date of any agreement may be considered in-network, meaning a patient would only be responsible for their co-pay/deductible.

Cox Media Group

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