Heart Attack, Insurance Question

So, I had a really bad heart attack and even coded. Was not expected to live, and if I did not well. Didn't turn out that way, good for me. However, BCBSOK being a pain.

So, got taken to closest hospital as one should, they did surgery, I lived but was in critical condition and they moved me to ICU. This is an out of network (but closest) hospital. I was in ICU, intubated and got out after 5 nights.

Thus far, BCBSOK denied intubation as a non covered service. That seems very odd, a guy who can't breathe who had a heart attack, skeptical of this and see no exclusion in the policy for this, fine, I appealed it.

But much worse, the whole hospital stay, they counted as out of network. Meaning vast expense for me. I thought the "no surprises act" disallowed this? Since it was a continuous stay at the hospital from ER to ICU, the way I read it, it should all be counted as in network. Meaning vastly less expense, no out of network deductible, etc.

If I understand this correctly, then where do I go to fix this? Did maybe the hospital miscode it so I go to them? Do I simply use the appeal process at BCBSOK? Somewhere else?

This would make a massive financial difference. Just want to know best way to navigate.

submitted by /u/sfatula
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