Better Call Behnken: Bradenton woman complains insurance-provided medical ride is a no-show

BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) — Virginia Johnson, a woman from Bradenton, said she spent hours in the sun, waiting for a medical rideshare that doesn’t show up.

Johnson has the rides set up and paid for through her insurance company.

“It takes anywhere from an hour to two hours. Last week, it took four hours,” Johnson said.

She said the insurance company partners with a third-party company that dispatches the rides.
But for some reason, she said the drivers keep going to a different address and can’t seem to find her mobile home park.

She said she waits for hours sometimes, and misses important doctors appointments.

“The doctors were yelling at me saying you’re not setting these up right,” she said. “There’s no excuse for not getting in here. And I have sat out here in this last year and a half in all kinds of weather, waiting to flag somebody down and nobody comes.”

Johnson said this has been happening on and off for more than year. She said her insurance company pays for the rides, even when they don’t happen. That’s why she called me for help getting the companies to work together to fix this.

Johnson said her insurance company has tried to help, but the problem keeps happening.

Better Call Behnken reached out to the rideshare company and is awaiting a response. Johnson hopes that once the right person hears her story, this mistake will finally be fixed, and she will picked up in front of her home.

Behnken spoke to the manager at the mobile home park who said she’s aware of this problem and tried to help. She said she recently installed new, bigger signs by the road and even turned the signs so that it’s easier for drivers to see them.

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