Omaha Woman Faces Billing Issues Amid Illness

OMAHA, Neb. – An Omaha resident, struggling with a serious illness, has found herself in the midst of a billing conflict. The stress has only increased with notifications from collection agencies.

“Muscular dystrophy impacts muscles throughout the body, so it’s essential to receive treatment to maintain function and avoid illness,” Evie Cava shared.

However, during her ongoing treatments, Cava reported having to stop partway through because of a disagreement with Aetna insurance.

“How can a company deny pre-approval simply because they and CHI aren’t cooperating? That’s just unfair to the patient,” Cava expressed.

Evie and her sister had anticipated that the insurance would cover most of their treatment costs, but that wasn’t the case, which complicated their management of CHI Health bills.

“We received a bill for $30,000 for something we were assured was approved. No one consulted us before this,” stated her sister, Mary Kaup, adding to their frustration.

Evie noted that some unpaid CHI bills were beginning to be sent to collections.

“This is really damaging to my reputation. It affects my credit score, which has dropped, and I used to have perfect credit,” Kava lamented.

After reaching out, both Aetna and CHI Health acknowledged the challenges patients face with payment issues. They worked together to provide clarity to Evie and temporarily halted all claims.

In an email, they indicated that Evie’s bill is now being processed at network rates, which means CHI needs to reimburse her after all.

“If I could do a cartwheel, I’d absolutely do it. I’m just thrilled,” Kava said.

Evie is also hopeful that Aetna and CHI can assist in restoring her credit reputation.

When Evie halted her treatment due to the insurance dispute, her sister followed suit, but now that everything is sorted out, she’s eager to share her thoughts.

“If you avoid going to the doctor, it will ultimately cost you more in the long run, so it’s better to just go see them,” Kaup advised.

In a positive turn of events, Evie Kava has begun making payments for her treatment after months of worry about the expenses her insurance wouldn’t cover. As it turns out, these payments exceeded what she actually owed, and she will receive a refund of $3,800.

A joint statement from CHI Health and Aetna read, “We understand how challenging it can be for patients dealing with payment issues. Aetna and CHI Health collaborated to provide solutions for Evelyn. Our team reached out, halted all billing activities, and made sure her bill was processed at in-network rates.”

Indeed, her bill is being recalculated at in-network rates. Once completed, her outstanding balance with CHI Health will be just over $2,000. Given that she’s already paid more than that amount, a refund of $3,849 is forthcoming.