5 On Your Side helps widow wipe out $194K in medical debt

In August 2022, a Wilson woman reached out to 5 On Your Side after she says she was handed nearly $200,000 worth of inaccurate medical bills.

However, Patricia Taylor’s nightmare began in March 2021 when her husband, Ron, was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. He died in April 2022.

“My other half was gone,” Taylor said.

Patricia met Ron when she was 18 and he was 22. They married a few years later and were together for nearly five decades until Ron passed away.

During their time together, Ron always handled the insurance paperwork, and by the time Ron was diagnosed with cancer the couple had two health insurance policies: One from Blue Cross Blue Shield through work and the other with UnitedHealthcare through Medicare. So, Patricia was surprised when she began to receive bills worth hundreds and thousands of dollars from Duke Health, where Ron received his cancer treatments and end of life care.

“I think the first statement came May 17 and he died April 30,” Taylor said.

The bills continued to pour in and by the late summer of 2022 her balance was $178,017.12 and counting. Eventually, it reached $194,000.

“I was scared, and I was frightened,” Taylor said.

Taylor wished her husband was there. He was her rock and she felt he would’ve known how to handle things.

“He never would’ve left me with a situation where I would’ve had to pay," Taylor said of her late husband. "He wasn’t that kind of person."

Taylor called Duke Health multiple times and told billing representatives that she believed the bills were incorrect. Instead of getting an explanation, she says she was told to get on a payment plan to pay off the outstanding total. The payment plan, she was told, would be to pay $2,472.46 per month for the next six years.

“It would’ve wiped me out, completely," Taylor said. "I would’ve had no money."

Not knowing what to do, Taylor reached out to 5 On Your Side. The team got to work and discovered that her two insurance companies were not being used correctly.

The Taylor family were members of the State Health Plan, which has its health insurance benefits administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. When Ron Taylor became eligible for Medicare, he enrolled in a separate Medicare Advantage plan through UnitedHealthcare. This Medicare policy became the primary payer. However, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina was initially billed as the primary payer.

“When Mr. Taylor received care, the providers billed Blue Cross NC as the primary policy. Because Blue Cross NC was not the primary policy for Mr. Taylor, the claim was rejected, and providers were notified that Blue Cross NC was not the primary insurance provider for this member. This denial automatically generated an explanation of payment, alerting the member that the services filed under the claims were not covered,” wrote Jami Sanchez, a spokesperson for Blue Cross NC.

For one month, 5 On Your Side worked with the true primary payer, UnitedHealthcare to insure that Patricia Taylor would be billed properly. In December 2022, Patricia received the news she’d been waiting for.

“It was Duke Health and they told me that my forms had been processed and that I owed nothing,” Patricia Taylor explained. “It had gone from $194,000 to zero.”

Taylor expressed her appreciation for 5 On Your Side's helping resolving the matter.

“Because of 5 On Your Side, I’m able to keep my savings, I’m able to keep my house, I’m able to live,” she said. “I feel like Ron is smiling down from heaven.”

In a statement to WRAL 5 On Your Side, Duke Health spokesperson Sarah Avery wrote: “We are pleased this patient’s case had a positive resolution, with a zero balance owed to Duke Health. We encourage our patients to reach out to us when they have questions about their bills, particularly when insurance claims are rejected or unpaid and the patient becomes responsible for the outstanding balance.”

UnitedHealthcare did not send 5 On Your Side a statement on the matter, despite multiple requests.

"Americans are lucky if they have more than one insurance, but it doesn't make things less confusing,” explained Ruth Lande of RIP Medical Debt.

Experts tell 5 On Your Side that up to 80% of all medical bills are wrong. If you suspect something is wrong, be sure to fight it and asked for an itemized bill.