Maryland
Md. attorney general says state wins most appeals on denied health care claims, too many give up – WTOP News
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said a unit within the Consumer Protection Division in his office has recovered or saved consumers $2.6 million by challenging health care claims that were denied.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said a unit within the Consumer Protection Division in his office has recovered or saved consumers $2.6 million by challenging denied health care claims.
The state’s annual report, however, showed only 10% of Marylanders appeal their bills when a claim is denied. But in the past fiscal year, the state succeeded in 56% of the cases it challenged.
Brown said consumers pay premiums so that their medical care can be covered. When their claim is rejected, he said, “Too many Marylanders just give up, thinking they have no choice but to accept the denial or to pay bills they can’t afford.”
Among the cases the state’s Health Education and Advocacy Unit looked at are those that have what Brown called “surprise medical bills.” Those are bills for components of care that the consumer believed would be covered.
“Last year, the HEAU saved a family more than $23,000 when their child was moved from a hospital’s emergency room to its inpatient psychiatric unit just two floors apart,” Brown said.
He explained that in that case, the emergency department was considered in-network, while the psychiatric unit was not.
“Although there are laws against these unlawful surprises, too many Marylanders are still charged these fees,” Brown said.
According to the attorney general’s office, in cases where original denials are not overturned, the HEAU is often able to negotiate a reduction of the original amount and set up payment plans for consumers.
Consumers looking for help in navigating the process can call the unit’s hotline Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 410-528-1840. Complaints can also be filed online.
The Maryland Department of Transportation reported a crash shortly after 4:10 p.m. June 21 on I-95 north near mile marker 39 in Howard County. Twenty minutes later, the MDOT reported all four northbound lanes were closed while emergency crews were at the scene. A shoulder along northbound I-95 also was shut down.
Vehicles could be seen backed up beyond the MD Route 32 interchange on MDOT traffic cameras. All southbound lanes remained open.
Three people were killed on Saturday after their single-engine aircraft crashed in a wooded area near Bowie, Maryland, according to Maryland State Police.
The three people on board were Israelis, according to Israeli media reports on Sunday, citing the Foreign Ministry.
An NBC report cited the police as saying that the aircraft was found Sunday morning after crashing near a townhouse community and local playground.
Police did not release the identities of the deceased, all of whom were declared dead on the scene.
The crash was initially reported at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday via iPhone alert, NBC cited Prince George’s County Public Safety Communications as saying.
The pilot and passengers of the small aircraft were on a training flight when the crash occured, NBC reported, noting that the aircraft belonged to a Montgomery County flight school.
The Baltimore Sun identified the aircraft as a Piper PA-28, a common training aircraft in the United States.
On Tuesday, a small jet plane carrying six people crashed into a vehicle on a highway in Laredo, Texas, authorities said.
One person was killed in the crash, named by the Associated Press on Wednesday as Austin tech entrepreneur Joshua Baer.
In addition, five first responders were hospitalized for smoke inhalation, and the passengers were hospitalized for minor injuries.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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