Columbine survivor stuck with $72,000 medical helicopter bill after insurance said they won’t pay
WALDEN, Colo. (KDVR)- A Columbine survivor spoke out about what she called the injustice of surprise bills from a medical helicopter flight in 2020.
It's been 25 years since Columbine, but for survivors like Joey Blom, the trauma is daily. "That's where I got PTSD from because I was there, I was in the cafeteria under a table. It affected my life very much so, and it still does to this day," Blom said.
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That PTSD, something she constantly battles led to a mental health emergency on July 11, 2020, after some changes in her medication.
"I wasn't aware of a lot of the things I was doing because I was really scared because I thought everybody was against me. What happened is I had a medication changed on me, two of my mental health medications and it made me stop taking them because I thought I was cured and I started going into psychosis and started reliving the trauma throughout my life as if it were happening right then and there. It was like I was there again and so I thought everybody was out to get me, even my parents and so my number one thing was getting away and get safe and so I was reacting to that," Blom said about that day.
Joey was at her her parent's home in Walden when she was experiencing this, so her family called 911. First responders quickly arrived and she was placed in an ambulance, where her mental emergency quickly became physical.
"We had cop cars, we had ambulance, we had fire trucks, so of course in and of itself brought me back to that day even more and I was in the ambulance and they were giving me an IV and I guess I went tachycardia and they got really scared and were like she is not going to make it in the ambulance ride back to Littleton, she needs help now," Blom said.
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An air ambulance was called. In the medical transfer documentation, it states Joey was in "critical life-threatening condition", with suicidal ideation and manic episodes.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, her insurance company though, stuck her with the entire medical helicopter bill which was well over $72,000, stating in a denial letter that "The air ambulance transport is not medically necessary."
Joey has tried to appeal it, but she's received denial after denial. Even the medical transport company, appealed the bill on her behalf going into great detail of why the decision was made, stating she had recently been treated at a hospital in Denver and they would better understand her condition. She said she can't go a week without getting at least one bill in the mail or by email.
"Med Trans recognizes the complexity of what happens after an emergency illness or injury and have a dedicated team of Patient Advocates to assist our patients through this process," said Med Trans Corporation. "Unfortunately, the billing appeal process is largely dependent on the insurance provider, and some of our patient appeal processes take multiple months or even years. Our Patient Advocates do everything they can to work with the patients and their insurance companies to find a resolution. Once we have exhausted all appeals processes, these advocates also work with patients and their families to secure payment for air emergency medical services. If patients receive statements with balances they cannot afford, we work with them to find equitable solutions."
"It's constant stress because I get emails multiple times every month telling me to pay, plus I get bills in the mail. I just want it to go away so I can move forward with my husband, so I can move forward with my life and just put everything behind me, finally. That's what I want," she said.
FOX31 reached out to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and asked numerous questions about why this wasn't covered, even partially. They sent us the following statement
New legislation went into effect in January of 2022 called the "No Surprises Act", which protects patients from any surprise bills for emergency care. The No Surprise Act does apply to life flights, but since it's not a retroactive law, it doesn't help Joey.
