Sean Deines and his spouse, Rebekah, had been road-tripping after he misplaced his job as a bartender when the pandemic hit. However whereas visiting his grandfather in a distant a part of Wyoming, Sean began to really feel very in poor health.

Rebekah insisted he go to an pressing care middle in Laramie.

“Your white blood depend is thru the roof. It is advisable get to an ER proper now,” Deines, 32, remembers a staffer saying. The North Carolina couple initially drove to a hospital in Casper however had been shortly airlifted to the College of Colorado Hospital close to Denver, the place he was admitted on Nov. 28, 2020.

There, specialists confirmed his analysis: acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a fast-growing blood most cancers.

“Actually inside 12 hours, I wanted to determine what to do with the subsequent step of my life,” mentioned Deines.

So, after he was began on intravenous remedies, together with steroids and antibiotics, to stabilize him, the couple determined it was prudent to return to North Carolina, the place they might get assist from his mom and mother-in-law. They chose Duke College Medical Heart in Durham, which was in his insurance coverage community.

His household known as Angel MedFlight, a part of Aviation West Charters of Scottsdale, Ariz., which informed Rebekah Deines that it might settle for regardless of the couple’s insurer would pay and that they might not be held accountable for any remaining steadiness.

Sean Deines was flown to North Carolina on Dec. 1, 2020, and brought by floor ambulance to Duke, the place he spent the subsequent 28 days as an inpatient.

By his discharge, he felt higher and issues had been trying up.

Then the payments got here.

The affected person: Sean Deines, 32, who bought protection by way of the Inexpensive Care Act market with Blue Cross Blue Defend of North Carolina.

Medical service: A 1,468-mile air ambulance flight from Colorado to North Carolina, together with floor transportation between the hospitals and airports.

Service supplier: Aviation West Charters, doing enterprise as Angel MedFlight, a medical transport firm.

Whole invoice: $489,000, most of which was for the flight from Denver, with roughly $70,000 for the bottom ambulance service to and from the Denver and Raleigh-Durham airports.

What provides: Insurers typically get to resolve what care is “medically needed” and subsequently lined. And that’s usually within the eye of the beholder. On this case the talk revolved first round whether or not Deines was steady sufficient to securely take a three-plus-hour industrial flight to North Carolina throughout a pandemic or required the intensive care the air ambulance offered. Second, there was the query of whether or not Deines ought to have stayed in Denver for his 28-day remedy to get him into remission. Insurers have a tendency to not take into account affected person stress or household comfort of their choices.

Additionally, each air and floor ambulance companies have been middle stage within the nationwide struggle over enormous shock payments, because the for-profit corporations that run them steadily don’t take part in insurance coverage networks.

Angel MedFlight, which was not in Deines’ insurance coverage community, sought prior authorization from Blue Cross Blue Defend of North Carolina. The request was dated Nov. 30, however the insurer mentioned the fax arrived within the predawn hours the identical day because the flight, Dec. 1, 2020.

On that day, Angel MedFlight flew Deines to North Carolina in an airplane, together with a nurse to supervise his IV medicines and oxygen ranges.

Angel MedFlight spokesperson Kimberly Halloran didn’t reply a selected written query from Kaiser Well being Information about why the flight went forward with out prior approval; usually medical interventions are postponed till it has been obtained. However in an emailed assertion to KHN, she mentioned the corporate “happy every step within the medical health insurance course of and transported Sean to his long-term well being care suppliers in good religion.”

In line with the evaluate of the case executed months later by an impartial evaluator, Blue Cross on Dec. 3 denied protection for the air ambulance companies as a result of medical data didn’t assist that it was an emergency and Deines was already in an applicable medical facility.

On the finish of December, Angel MedFlight filed an enchantment of that call on Deines’ behalf.

Then, in March 2021, Blue Cross despatched Deines a examine for $72,000 to cowl a part of the $489,000 invoice, which he forwarded to the air ambulance firm. The reason of advantages confirmed the vast majority of the fees had been dominated “not medically needed.”

Angel MedFlight, by way of a income administration agency it hires known as MedHealth Companions, continued to enchantment to Blue Cross to overturn the denial of the flight portion of the invoice.

Then, three months after Blue Cross demanded Deines pay again the $72,000 that he had already despatched to Angel MedFlight.

“The preliminary thought was, ‘I can not imagine that is taking place,’ ” mentioned Deines.

Medical necessity standards are set by insurers, with North Carolina Blue Cross masking air ambulances in “distinctive circumstances,” akin to when wanted remedy is not accessible regionally.

When Deines, who was nonetheless unemployed and present process remedy, could not pay, the debt was despatched to collections.

In late June, Deines’ representatives at Angel MedFlight took the subsequent step allowed beneath the Inexpensive Care Act, interesting the insurer’s inside dedication that the flight wasn’t medically essential to an impartial third get together by way of the state.

On July 29, the evaluator dominated in favor of Blue Cross.

Usually, such a flight could be applicable as a result of the affected person was “medically unfit to journey through industrial airflight,” the evaluate famous. However, it went on to say, there was truly no have to journey, because the College of Colorado Hospital — a member of the Nationwide Complete Most cancers Community — may have managed Deines’ remedy.

His well being plan “clearly stipulates their indications for medical flight protection and sadly this case doesn’t meet that standards,” the evaluate concluded.

Decision: The invoice disappeared solely after the press acquired concerned. Shortly after a KHN reporter contacted the communications representatives for each the insurer and Angel MedFlight, Deines heard from each of them.

The $72,000 cost was made in error, mentioned Blue Cross spokesperson Jami Sowers.

“We apologize for placing the member in the midst of this difficult scenario,” she mentioned in an e-mail that additionally famous “the air ambulance firm billed greater than $70,000 only for floor transportation to and from the airport — greater than 30 occasions the typical value of medical floor transport.”

Such a scenario would “sometimes” be flagged by inside techniques however for some purpose was not, Sowers mentioned.

“I’ve by no means heard of a floor transport that prices that a lot. That is surprising,” mentioned Erin Fuse Brown, director of the Heart for Legislation, Well being & Society at Georgia State College Faculty of Legislation, who research affected person billing and air ambulance prices.

Nonetheless, there’s excellent news for Deines: Each the insurer and the air ambulance firm informed KHN he is not going to be held accountable for any of the fees. (Not one of the expenses stemmed from his first air ambulance flight from Casper to Denver, which was lined by the insurer.)

“As soon as North Carolina Blue engages in our formal inquiries about its refund request, the standing of the funds will probably be resolved,” the ambulance spokesperson wrote in her e-mail. “One factor is definite, Sean is not going to should pay for North Carolina’s wavering protection resolution.”

In an e-mail, Blue Cross’ Sowers mentioned it had “ceased all recoupment efforts” associated to Sean Deine’s case.

The takeaway: If the flight had occurred this yr, the couple may need obtained extra worth data earlier than they took the flight.

A regulation known as the No Surprises Act took impact Jan. 1. Its major thrust is to guard insured sufferers from “steadiness payments” for the distinction between what their insurance coverage pays and what an out-of-network supplier expenses in emergencies.

It additionally covers nonemergency conditions during which an insured affected person is handled in an in-network facility by an out-of-network supplier. In these circumstances, the affected person would pay solely what they might owe had the service been absolutely in-network.

One other a part of the regulation, known as a superb religion estimate, may need offered Deines with extra transparency into the prices.

That portion says medical suppliers, together with air ambulances, should give upfront value estimates in nonemergency conditions to sufferers. Had the regulation been in impact, Deines may need discovered earlier than the flight that it could possibly be billed at $489,000.

Insured sufferers in related conditions at this time ought to at all times examine first with their insurer, if they’re in a position, to see if an air transport could be lined, specialists mentioned.

Even when the regulation had been in impact, it possible wouldn’t have helped with the massive hang-up in Deines’ case: the disagreement over “medical necessity.” Insurers nonetheless have leeway to outline it.

For his half, Deines mentioned he is glad he took the flight to be nearer to residence and household, regardless of the later monetary shock.

“I’d not change it, as a result of it offered assist for myself and my spouse, who wanted to deal with me; she was maintaining my sanity,” he mentioned.

Stephanie O’Neill contributed the audio portrait with this story.

Invoice of the Month is a crowdsourced investigation by KHN and NPR that dissects and explains medical payments. Do you’ve an fascinating medical invoice you wish to share with us? Inform us about it!