After Heart Attack, Teacher Faces $109,000 Surprise Medical Bill

A surprise medical bill can cause as much stress as the illness you sought help for in the first place, according to one man who was hit with an unexpected invoice.

KXAN, a local NBC station in Austin, Texas, covered a story regarding a teacher’s surprise medical bill of $108,951 after he received treatment at a local hospital.

Drew Calver received care for a heart attack in April 2017 at St. David’s Medical Center because it was the closest facility to his house. He says he had been home alone when he felt the heart attack occur, and a neighbor drove Calver to the hospital.

The cardiac intensive care unit of the hospital ran some tests, which indicated he needed stents placed in his heart. Calver said he remembers asking the hospital staff if his insurance would cover the operation, and the response allegedly was that it would.

Calver’s wife allegedly received additional assurance that the procedure would be covered because of the nature of the emergency.

Calver was hospitalized for four days. The hospital stay and the heart operation totaled $164,941. He said his Aetna insurance plan that he has through Austin Independent School District covered $55,840.

After Calver had been back home for about a month, he received the surprise medical bill of $108,951.

For more than a year, Calver has been told he must pay either half or the entire bill at once. The bill is equal to nearly double his salary, and he and his wife have both allegedly explained many times that they can’t afford to pay even half all at once.

The matter is still unresolved.

Surprise Medical Bills Despite Assurance of Coverage

Many patients like Calver feel they ask all the right questions, but still receive surprise medical bills in the mail.

If a patient obtains treatment at a facility that is in-network with the patient’s insurance company, the doctors performing the treatment might not be in-network. This occurs because doctors often have their own contracts with the insurance companies, separate from the contracts the facilities have with the insurance companies.

Doctors within the same practice might not take the same insurance. For instance, suppose that at one office of six doctors at XYZ Medical Practice, each doctor has an individual contract with each insurance company. If you see one doctor at the facility who moves away and you wish to become established with another doctor at that same facility, you must make sure your new doctor accepts your insurance.

If you need to have an operation, you can verify that the doctor and the facility are both in-network. Unfortunately, many patients receive a surprise medical bill when the anesthesiologist is not covered by their insurance. Depending on the length of time the patient is under anesthesia, the surprise medical bill can vary widely.

If you have received a surprise medical bill after assurance that your care was covered by your health insurance, you could be eligible to participate in this medical billing lawsuit investigation.

Join a Free Surprise Medical Bill Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were hit with a surprise medical bill from an out-of-network doctor at an in-network hospital, you may be entitled to compensation.

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