NC cancer patient forced to make decision on care amid UnitedHealthcare, UNC Health dispute
HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) – Thousands of people are in limbo and possibly without insurance as UnitedHealthcare and UNC Health System are still at odds over contract negotiations.
Last month, sister station Fox8 introduced you to Janet Mazzurco, who is a High Point cancer patient. She had to choose insurance or the doctors who saved her life.
It’s her decision day. She chose what she calls her family: her team at UNC Health, which means she had to get new insurance, and it’s going to cost her.
“My number one concern is where do I find thousands and thousands of dollars,” Mazzurco said.
Her new insurance contract is signed, and the reality set in.
“I will have to go back to work,” Mazzuro said. “I have a major surgery scheduled for next week … Once I recover from that surgery, I will have to find a part-time job,” she said.
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The stage four cancer patient is on disability because of her chronic condition, but she plans to work as much as she is allowed on her disability to pay for the increase in co-pays, deductibles and a new maximum out-of-pocket price.
“I never thought that insurance would stand in my way of life or death. I thought of a lot of other things, but it was definitely not insurance,” Mazzurco said.
Mazzurco has spent countless hours on the phone to find a solution, and she reached out to the North Carolina Department of Insurance. The communications director said in a statement to FOX8 that “NCDOI does not have jurisdiction to intervene regarding contractual disputes or require that a company or a provider enter in a legal contract.”
So Mazzurco kept going one step further to the state legislature to push for more transparency when it comes to insurance contracts.
“I feel like that patients need a seat at the table. Patients need to understand how the process works. I learned a lot, and I learned that what UnitedHealthcare is doing is legal. It’s not ethical, but it’s legal, and that is two different things, and it’s important to know that,” Mazzurco said.
In a statement to FOX8, UnitedHealthcare said in part “We are committed to utilizing the time remaining on our contract to reach an agreement that is affordable for North Carolinians and employers.”
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A statement from UNC Heath System to FOX8 reads: “Unfortunately, we have not yet reached an agreement. We take very seriously the potential disruption this may cause our patients, and we are doing everything in our power to avoid that outcome.”
The deadline to agree is April 1.
To make sure Mazzurco can apply for new insurance, get processed and have coverage by April 1, her time is up, and her decision is made.
“That is vital to me. That is a life-or-death situation … My calendar stays booked with healthcare appointments,” Mazzurco said.
She is not the only one. Thousands of other UnitedHealthcare customers are at risk of being out of network at UNC Health starting on March 31 if the two remain at a standstill.
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