Thousands of Anthem BlueCross BlueShield customers who bought an insurance plan that said it included UCHealth got a surprise earlier this summer when they learned the health system actually wasn’t in-network.

Anthem sells two general types of plans on the individual marketplace: those labeled Pathway, which include UCHealth hospitals and doctors, and Pathway Essentials, which don’t. The plan description on the Connect for Health Colorado website mistakenly listed UCHealth as in-network for both types of plans.

Mistakes like that are rare, and this one triggered an open enrollment period from May to July for people who want to switch plans, said Nina Schwartz, senior director of policy and external affairs at Connect for Health Colorado.

When patients go to an in-network provider, they pay an agreed-upon share of their care costs. If they go to an out-of-network provider, they can get stuck with a bill for the difference between the amount their insurer paid and their provider charged. Federal and state law prohibits such “surprise bills” in the case of emergencies, but not for scheduled care.

Dan Weaver, spokesman for UCHealth, said the system knew it wasn’t in-network with the Essentials plans, so the incorrect information had no effect on its operations. The system screens patients so they know if they’re going out-of-network for care, he said.

Anthem estimated about 20,000 people, out of roughly 1.5 million customers in Colorado, had purchased plans involved in the mix-up. It didn’t have information about how many had switched because of it. The company attributed the mistake to a computer error.

“The health of our members is our top priority and we worked quickly with Connect for Health Colorado and the Division of Insurance to correct this mistake,” spokeswoman Emily Snooks said in a statement.

Chris Citron, of Denver, said the news was confusing for her family. She manages an adult relative’s health insurance, and said she had chosen the plan specifically so her relative could stay with familiar doctors, who work at UCHealth.

“I was incredulous,” she said. “I thought that was bait-and-switch.”

The letter customers received said they could continue to see UCHealth doctors at in-network rates for the rest of the year if another provider had referred them to the health system. But Citron said it hasn’t worked out easily for her family so far. She called Anthem multiple times to verify that her relative’s appointment would be covered at in-network rates, but still got an out-of-network bill that she’s trying to sort out.

Ideally, she’d like to sign up with a new plan to keep UCHealth in-network for her relative next year, but isn’t sure if she’ll be able to find one. Most plans sold on the individual marketplace for Denver don’t include that health system.

“I’m really worried, because there are hardly any alternatives,” she said.

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Originally Published: September 7, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.

“The Kicking Machine” Superlek Kiatmoo9 continued his glorious ride to the Mount Rushmore of Muay Thai with a scintillating sub-minute knockout of Jonathan “The General” Haggerty in the main event of ONE 168: Denver.

The ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion arrived inside the packed Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, game to prove why he’s widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound striker in the world today. And he couldn’t have written the script any better.

He captured the Englishman’s ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title to join an elite list of two-sport World Champions at the organization’s second on-ground spectacle in the U.S., which aired live in North American primetime on Friday, September 6.

It wasn’t all one-way traffic, though, as the Kiatmoo9 Gym athlete was forced to deal with a heavy onslaught from Haggerty. The two-sport king came in guns blazing, working behind his left straights and sweeping low kicks.

Despite standing in the face of adversity, Superlek didn’t throw any caution to the wind. Instead, the muay femur stylist stuck to what he does best – setting up traps.

Needless to say, Haggerty took the bait and launched into enemy territory with a right punch. At that moment, Superlek evaded and countered with a right elbow and, coupled with Haggerty’s forward momentum, left the latter flattened on the canvas.

Although Haggerty displayed the heart of a champion to regain his footing, he failed to beat the eight-count, thus handing the Thai megastar the knockout victory inside just 49 seconds.

Superlek’s win was his 11th straight in the world’s largest martial arts organization and pushed his overall record to an impressive 139-29.

At the same time, the newly crowned two-sport king claimed a US$50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong and stopped Haggerty’s six-fight winning streak.

Fox News confirmed Friday that a vacant elementary school building in Denver, Colorado, may be turned into a migrant shelter.

A spokesperson for Democratic Mayor Mike Johnston said the building has been “identified as a potential migrant shelter, but nothing is final and there’s no paperwork,” adding the city has been “looking for buildings that would be suited as an emergency shelter.” 

A spokesperson for Denver Public Schools, which owns the vacant building, told Fox News, “No determination has been made yet.”

ICE CONFIRMS AURORA, COLORADO GANG MEMBERS ARE IN THE UNITED STATES ILLEGALLY, RELEASED BY BIDEN ADMIN

Denver is a sanctuary city, meaning it does not enforce immigration law, nor does the city cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

“The location you reference has been looked at as a possible site to provide temporary shelter for newcomers,” Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for the Denver mayor’s office, clarified to Fox News. “No decisions have been made, nor contracts signed.

“It’s also probably worth pointing out that very few newcomers are in shelter at this time. In all of August, we saw around 150 people come through our shelter system, many of whom stayed for only a matter of hours before departing for other locations.”

GOP lawmakers have sounded the alarm on sanctuary city and open border policies in light of transnational gang activity in Colorado. The Tren de Aragua gang has been involved in apartment takeovers in Aurora, as seen in viral surveillance video that surfaced last week.

“The situation in Aurora, Colorado, is just the tip of the iceberg of the problems that come with the Biden-Harris administration’s open border policies. While gangs overrun our cities, Gov. Polis and Mayor Coffman are complicit in the violence unfolding there that is putting Americans in danger,” Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna told Fox News Digital. 

“These criminals are reportedly involved in human trafficking and sexual abuse of minors. We must quickly put an end to the wave of illegal aliens pouring into our country and ensure that justice is served for the victims of these monstrous acts.”

VENEZUELAN GANG’S ALLEGED TAKEOVER OF AURORA, COLORADO APARTMENTS BEGAN IN 2023: REPORT

Four Venezuelan nationals confirmed to be involved with Tren de Aragua were arrested in Aurora in a shooting outside one of the overtaken apartment buildings July 28.

In a letter shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation, GOP lawmakers wrote, “The Biden-Harris Administration’s open border policies coupled with the state of Colorado’s sanctuary policies and the city of Denver’s sanctuary city status have fueled and exasperated the immigration crisis in Colorado.”

The GOP lawmakers who penned the letter include Rep. Chip Roy of Texas and Lauren Boebert, Doug Lamborn and Greg Lopez of Colorado.

This apartment building was overrun by alleged gang members who changed the locks, according to one resident. (Council member Danielle Jurinsky)

“Multiple local elected officials and the nonpartisan Perkins Coie law firm that was hired to investigate the takeover have confirmed numerous criminal acts committed by TdA gang members including threats of murder, robbery, extortion, trespassing, assaults and battery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, drug related crimes, stolen vehicles, human trafficking and sexual abuse of minors,” the letter continued.

“Non sanctuary cities and neighboring communities have suffered harm from these policies and don’t have the resources or authorities to mitigate the influx of illegal aliens and TdA gang members.”

Aurora City Council Member Danielle Jurinsky told Fox News Digital, “Denver’s sanctuary policies and their approach to handling this migrant crisis is further exacerbating the problem and continuing to put American kids last.”

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The offices of representatives Roy and Boebert did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment before publication.