A heart attack victim who owed $407,000 in hospital bills due to an Obamacare mix-up has received backdated coverage 10 days after Newsmax’s John Gizzi highlighted the man’s plight on "The Steve Malzberg Show."
Larry Basich racked up huge medical expenses following his attack on Dec. 31. But he was not concerned at first because he had finally signed up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act in November through the Nevada Health Link’s troubled website after a month-long effort.
Basich, of Las Vegas, paid his first premium in November and then more payments in January and February, according to the
Las Vegas Journal-Review.
However, after Basich had a triple bypass operation on Jan. 3, he learned that his chosen insurance provider, Health Plan of Nevada, had no record of his enrollment. By mistake, the exchange and its contractor, Xerox, had forwarded Basich’s payments to another insurer, Nevada Health CO-OP.
When Health Plan of Nevada discovered the error, they issued coverage from March 1, which still meant he faced bills totaling $407,000 for the first two months of the year.
However, the provider told a meeting this week of the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange that it had decided to cover Basich’s medical bills retroactively to Jan 1.
But Basich is still uncertain that his Obamacare medical nightmare is over. "I want them to say, 'Yes, you’re covered back to Jan. 1, and here’s your card,'" he said.
Just 10 days ago, Newsmax Washington correspondent John Gizzi told Newsmax TV’s "The Steve Malzberg Show" that Republicans would likely use Basich’s case against Democrats in the next election as proof that the health reform law is a disaster.
"We should never take comfort in the tragedy of other individuals…but I will say this, the Democrats who voted for this are going to find themselves increasingly playing defense as we get into the fall campaign,"
Gizzi said.
"If, indeed, the political calculus works out, it can be said about Obamacare that, for those who supported it, it will be the longest suicide note in history."
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