North Texas

New Mom Calls NBC 5 After Receiving Surprise $18,000 Out-of-Network Delivery Bill

Healthcare company ends contract with hospital, patient surprised with out-of-network fees

For two and a half years, Cassidy Jacobs and her husband were hoping to expand their family.

They tried everything.

"Shots, medications, multiple doctor visits.  Nothing was working," she said.  "So, we essentially stopped everything we were doing and ... two months later ..."

Two months later, Jacobs found out she was pregnant. Later that year, she gave birth to her very first child: Edison Joseph.

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NBC 5 News
Cassidy Jacobs says she was surprised by an $18,000 out-of-network bill after giving birth to her son, Edison Joseph, pictured.

"It was magical," she explained. "Everything that I had been hoping for and praying for had finally come true."

The couple was halfway through the construction of their dream home when Edison was born.

But those plans quickly changed when they received a unexpected hospital bill in the mail for more than $18,000.

Jacobs said the hospital told her the delivery was billed "out-of-network" by her insurance.

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NBC 5 News
Cassidy Jacobs, pictured, says she was surprised by an $18,000 out-of-network bill after giving birth to her son, Edison Joseph.

"Out of network? Even though I'd been told by six different people, six times, that we were in network," she said. "I thought I had taken every step to ensure something like this would not happen."

That same day, Jacobs said she called Medova Healthcare, the third-party administrator who manages her insurance plan.

Jacobs said she was told that Medova was no longer in contractual agreement with the hospital, so the bill would remain as out-of-network.

"My jaw dropped," she said. "I have a baby and now an $18,000 bill and no income coming in because I'm on maternity leave."

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NBC 5 News
Cassidy Jacobs says she was surprised by an $18,000 out-of-network bill after giving birth to her son.

"My husband considered walking away from his business and getting a new job," said Jacobs.

The family has been living inside an RV, which is parked on the construction site of their soon-to-be new home, and only planned to be there for a few weeks.  But with an $18,000 bill hanging over their heads, weeks turned into months.

"This was not what I had envisioned," she said. 

Jacobs called NBC 5 Responds in a panic, so we called Medova and got a hold of a manager.

The manager wouldn't tell NBC 5 Responds why Jacobs' delivery was billed out-of-network, but she did confirm that their board of directors were discussing her case and would contact her directly.

"It was the first sign they were going to do anything. You were the first one to even get them to respond," she said

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NBC 5 News
Cassidy Jacobs, right, says she was surprised by an $18,000 out-of-network bill after giving birth to her son, Edison Joseph.

The following week, she got a call from Medova and learned that she would only be responsible for the copay of $500.

"I don't know what you said to them, but it worked," she said. "You changed, possibly, the future of our life."

After the bill was resolved, Jacobs and her husband got back to work on their forever home.

Medova told me that based on the circumstances, they were able to make an exception in Jacobs case.

A grateful mom, a happy baby boy and another problem solved.

If you have any problems with your insurance coverage, you can file a complaint with the Texas department of insurance. Click here to be taken to their website.

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