An Oswego man has amassed nearly $1800 in medical bills because the hospital he went to refused to accept insurance under Obamacare.
St. Joseph’s in Syracuse will not accept Donald Webb’s MVP insurance plan because it is now classified as ‘out of network’ for Obamacare patients. A spokesman indicates the hospital has opted to go solely with the Excellus exchange.
Webb used the New York Health Exchange site – the place to go for Affordable Care Act plans – to sign up for his current MVP plan.
He is a former employee of Lockheed Martin, and has a disability.
Via CNY Central:
Donald Webb, who is disabled and lives near Mexico NY. says he went through the New York Health Exchange last year to sign up with MVP Health Insurance. In January, he underwent two procedures to treat wounds on his leg at St. Joseph’s Hospital Northeast Medical Center in Fayetteville. Webb says he showed the staff at the center his MVP insurance card. “they said, MVP? You’re good to go, no problem.”
It wasn’t until recently that Webb found out there was a problem. He did not know that on December 20th, St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center sent a letter to area health care providers informing them that it would only honor Excellus as the insurance carrier for patients under New York State’s Health Insurance Exchange. The hospital would be “out of network” for Obamacare patients insured by other companies such as Fidelis, MVP, American Progressive and Health Republic.
Webb says he’s being billed for nearly $1,800 because St. Joseph’s won’t take his insurance through MVP. “I’m on a fixed income. I don’t have the ability to pay this bill or the ones that are going to come.” Webb says he has cancelled future medical appointments with the hospital and will search for alternatives.
Webb says he had MVP insurance from his employer in the past, describing it as “very, very good.”
Watch below…
Now it would appear that if he likes his insurance, he’ll have to change it.
Cross-posted at the Mental Recession
