“I was terrified of getting hit with a massive bill, so even in labour I was updating my insurance details."
Brittany Giroux Lane gave birth to her daughter, Alexandra, a few days before Christmas in 2018. Baby Alexandra was about 13 weeks early, and weighed just two pounds.
Nurses at Mount Sinai hospital, New York called her a “rock star” because she grew so quickly. But her condition worsened after an infection, Alexandra sadly died early on the morning of Jan. 15 at 25 days old.
Last summer, Brittany Lane started receiving debt collection notices from Cigna, to say she owed the insurer over $257,000.
Lane had made sure her insurance cover was up to date because her circumstances had changed before having the baby. In fact, the day she went into labour was supposed to be her last day at her old job, before starting a new position a few weeks later: “I was terrified of getting hit with a massive bill, so even while I was in labour I was updating my insurance details."
While doing so, she decided to switch insurers, which is when the issue arose. Her previous insurer, Cigna paid Mount Sinai West in error after receiving the bill for care, and was now seeking the money it had overpaid the hospital from the family. They spent hours on the phone, sent dozens of emails, and filed complaints with regulatory agencies in two states, but the threats kept coming.
She told The New York Times: "For them, it’s just business, but for us it means constantly going through the trauma of reliving our daughter’s death and it means facing threats of financial ruin. It’s so unjust and infuriating.”
The American medical billing system means patients often having little idea what their care will cost until a bill turns up months later, as Susan Null, a medical billing expert with the firm Systemedic Inc. explains: “This patient had no control over what was paid, and she has no control over whether it gets returned. Sometimes things like this might be done to motivate the patient to contact the hospital, to get them to release the funds.”
"For them, it’s just business"
US Congress passed a ban on surprise medical bills last year, but it won't come into effect in 2022. It outlaws a certain type of 'surprise bill', where patients receive from an out-of-network provider unexpectedly involved in their care.
About 18 percent of Americans have outstanding deby from a hospital, doctor or other type of provider in the health system. Of course, none of them expect to get collection notices for bills that were already paid by an insurer.
The hospital had the family's old insurance plan and new 0ne on file (Cigna for 2018 coverage, and UnitedHealthcare for 2019) and had issued Lane's old insurer Cigna with the bill for care. Cigna accidentally covered the entire bill of $257,000 that should have been paid by UnitedHealthcare.
The worst part? UnitedHealthcare also paid the bill, meaning it was paid twice. And still, the family were being harassed for the amount.
Since Alexandra’s death, the Lanes have donated supplies to the Mount Sinai West neonatal unit, including infant rockers, books and a camera as phones are often not allowed for hygiene purposes. The family is also now welcoming a new addition, as they're in the process of adopting a baby boy.
