Collective Pressure Gets $6k Medical Bill Cancelled for Central-Appalachia Leader
On Thursday March 23rd, Put People First! PA held a call in day for Central-Appalachia Healthcare Rights Committee member Lauren to demand UPMC cover an in-network vision-saving eye surgery. Despite the surgery being medically necessary, Lauren was left shouldering a crushing $6,018.00 bill. Dozens of PPF-PA members called UPMC on Thursday demanding the cancellation of this charge and sharing the message, “While your company is posting record profits, I think it is shameful that UPMC is making someone pay over $6,000 for something that should be covered by their policy.”
Over the course of the day, PPF-PA members shared their call in experiences with one another and strategized on how to keep pressure on. By 5:00 pm Lauren was informed her bill was wiped clean! Lauren shared:
“Thank you to everyone that participated in the call in day yesterday! I’m so excited to share that thanks to our collective effort my $6,018 bill was wiped and I no longer owe for what was a needed surgery! I am so grateful to be a part of such a powerful organization that’s fighting for all of us to have access to quality healthcare that won’t drain us financially! It makes me sick to think of how many other people have been in my situation and have had to try and pay back astronomical bills that they should have never been responsible for in the first place!
“Personally, I found it very powerful how we stayed in communication all day via text with people reporting back what they learned or what future callers may need to know in order to get the answers we wanted. It really highlighted how we worked as a collective to give real time updates as things developed.
“This whole experience really hammers home how badly we need a Public Healthcare Advocate in PA! It is so crucial to have someone that can hold these insurance corporations accountable and to a higher standard so that no one has to panic about how they will afford to pay for treatment or preventative care! I am so humbled and thankful for everyone in this organization and am awestruck by how powerful we are as a collective! It truly is forward together!!”
- Base-building, Campaign, Central PA, Healthcare is a Human Right Campaign, Nonviolent Medicaid Army, PPF Members, Public Healthcare Advocate
- Central-Appalachia Healthcare Rights Committee, public healthcare advocate, UPMC