How to handle ambulance bill

[u/Deep-Examination7086]

My newborn needed a transfer from the ER to a NICU, and the hospital arranged the ambulance transfer within their system. I just received a bill for over $5,600 from the ambulance company. My insurance has an allowable amount for the service, but I’m being charged the difference between that allowable and the full billed amount.

The ambulance provider was out-of-network according to them and my insurance, and these extra charges aren’t applying toward my in-network out-of-pocket max. It’s worth noting I hit that OOP max of $6500 during the NICU stay, so I have nearly $12,000 of bills coming my way.

Since this was a medically necessary transfer arranged by the hospital, I’m confused and frustrated about this huge bill and the balance billing situation, especially since I had no choice in the provider.

My insurance is through GEHA and they had me contact ClearHealth to negotiate costs but to me it doesn’t seem like this should need to be negotiated and my insurance should cover the entire bill with in-network benefits. I have reached out to everyone I can possibly think of, ambulance company, insurance, the hospital. And everyone I talk to just points the finger at eachother. I have an appeal in process with my insurance company but do not have high hopes that they will change their decision. Shit like this just makes me want to give up.

[u/Last-Scratch9221]

My aunt also received a crazy bill for an emergency transfer between hospitals. It was life or death for her so there wasn’t really a choice. When she got the 25k bill (transport across state lines) she was extremely upset and even stated that next time she will “hitch a ride” even if she might die. Which is totally crazy but people do actually make decisions like that because if the cost. She simply wrote them a letter and told them she was told that their transportation was her only option and she could not pay their bill. So instead they had her pay the normal “insurance rate” of $500. She was shocked as she thought for sure she was heading to bankruptcy.