Grieving Wayne County family hit with harsh surprise
"He was just a delight, he wore you out just watching him" -- that's how
Kayden was transported to
"He donated his liver, his kidneys, and his heart," Best says. "So, I'm in hopes that some other little one is running around with his heart because it's big."
It was six days after the fire that his family said goodbye, and the very same day, they got a notice in the mail from Mercy Flight Central warning them that the cost of his flight was just shy of
"It's almost like they don't have a heart, I mean these are two people (Kayden's mom and dad) that work every day, they try to raise their family, and they've lost every single thing they owned," Best says.
Mercy Flight Central says the notice is not a bill even though it looks like one, and just because they are out-of-network, it doesn't mean Excellus BCBS won't pay something toward the balance. But in many cases that "something" is between
"These poor kids will never get it paid down," Beset says of the bill. "It's awful."
The CEO of Mercy Flight Central,
But the situation with Mercy Flight Central is only half the story. A second air ambulance was called to the
"We're really trying to increase our in-network strategy so we're basically trying to eliminate any out-of-pocket costs to the patient,"
So, with two different providers offering the same exact service to the same exact family with the same exact insurance, one ride will likely cost thousands of dollars out of pocket, and the other should be completely covered after co-pays or deductibles.
Asked why LifeNet can get into Excellus' network and Mercy Flight Central cannot, Bartkowski said, "LifeNet NY is part of
He added that Mercy Flight Central does try to contact the insurance company and get the invoice out right away in cases like this one.
"We have the privilege of impacting so many families in a positive manner but not every outcome is positive," Bartkowski said. "... We've tried to clarify that communication because the last thing we want to do is cause any additional concern for one of our patients or our patients' families."
Bartkowski says at this point, Mercy Flight Central and Excellus BCBS are meeting, "as recently as this week, we've had conversations with Excellus and all appearances to me is... we'll get a deal done very soon."
In a statement, a spokesman for Excellus BCBS tells News 10NBC, "Air ambulance is an important service and we want our members to have access to air transportation when they need it. At the same time, it must be reasonably priced. We are in discussions with Mercy Flight Central about becoming a participating provider of air ambulance service. The affordability of air ambulance service especially when consumers are being balance billed is an issue across the country.
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