r/HospitalBills • u/Deep-Examination7086 • 19d ago

How to handle ambulance bill

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.

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u/DAWG13610 18d ago

Is your baby alive? I’d start there. Call the ambulance company and negotiate a settlement.

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u/Deep-Examination7086 18d ago

This was 6 months ago. Baby is fine. I’m not negotiating shit. They can take my in-network cost sharing amount or leave it. I don’t pay my insurance premiums to be extorted like this.

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u/DAWG13610 18d ago

WOW, wonder if you would have thought that way when the baby was in crisis.

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u/Deep-Examination7086 18d ago

I expected insurance to apply the benefits I pay for. How do those boots taste?

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u/McNallyJoJo34 18d ago

A private ambulance company absolutely will send you to collections and tank your credit just fyi.