Please help Alexa pay for her spine surgery!

9/12 Update:

I had my 2.5 week post-op appointment today! My surgeon said everything looks great, he's super impressed with my progress, I'll be starting PT next week!

The downside is that I got my first bill. I've already paid my $1,500 deductible and maximum out of pocket costs ($5k), but my hospital bill is $4,400. Luckily the insurance decided to pick up most of that, considering the hospital billed them over $300k.

My actual surgery bill of $23k is still pending. So absolute worst case scenario, my bill will be under $30k. Which is still a lot of money, but better than what it could've been. I'm still super grateful to everyone that has shared and donated thus far. Keep your fingers crossed that after 3 appeals, insurance pays for this surgery.

9/9 Update:

I'm two weeks post-op! I have a doctor's appointment Tuesday to see how everything is going. I've ditched the walker, I'm off almost all medications, my incisions are completely healed, and I'm fairly self sufficient now. Anddddd NO BACK PAIN!

Still no word from insurance about which parts of my surgery they're deciding to cover, so I'm just playing the waiting game. They were calling my surgery "unnecessary," but my lack of back pain says otherwise.

Please continue sharing my story! Even if I win my fight with insurance, this money will still be going towards people dealing with the same issues as me, which I've unfortunately learned is all too common.

On 8/25 I finally had my back surgery! I ended up having to take out a huge loan in order for the hospital to proceed. My doctors and I are still working tirelessly to fight United Healthcare and get this surgery approved. UHC is acting as though this was an elective surgery - as if anyone would get back surgery for fun.

I stayed in the hospital a little longer than planned, but was able to come home on Sunday night. On 8/29 I finally took my first walk outside. So incredibly thankful for everyone's support through all of this, but the fight unfortunately isn't over yet.

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I am unfortunately at the point in my health insurance saga that I need to make a GoFundMe. I was trying to avoid this at all costs, but United Healthcare has left me no choice, as they continue to deny a portion of my surgery. I pay a monthly insurance premium of $654 and have a $1,500 deductible. If United Healthcare actually covered my full surgery like they should, my total out of pocket cost would only be $5,000, which I was totally prepared for. Instead, I am left applying for Charity Care through the hospital. While Charity Care is a wonderful thing to have, they do not cover the doctor's fees, the anesthesia, or radiology. They only cover hospital expenses, so I will likely still be left with a huge bill.

I have seen 5 doctors total since the onset of my severe acute lower back pain in late March. 3 of which were orthopedic spine surgeons that all recommended surgery. I have exhausted all non-surgical treatment options. My surgeon's pre-authorization request was denied, his peer to peer review was denied, and our appeal was denied. A second appeal can take up to 60 days, at which point I will run out of temporary disability benefits before I'm ever fully recovered from surgery. I have been out of work as an equine vet tech in New Jersey since June 1 and I am anxious to return. After a full recovery from surgery, I should have zero limitations. Until then, I'm not allowed to lift more than 10lbs, I can't sit for much more than 20-30 minutes, and struggle with the smallest of tasks such as getting my clothes out of the dryer, leaning over a sink to wash my face, vacuuming my floors, and even brushing my dog. Where I used to hike 7+ miles of rocky terrain, I can hardly walk for more than 30 minutes on flat ground. I have gained 20lbs in 5 months, and my blood pressure of 90/60 has skyrocketed to 144/90, from either the stress of dealing with United Healthcare or inactivity.

United Healthcare is quite literally holding my healthcare hostage and causing me physical pain, emotional stress, and financial hardship. I hope there are people out there that are a little more fortunate than me at this moment and willing to donate towards my surgery. If by some miracle I receive more donations than the cost of my surgery, I will donate them directly to HealthWell Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps underinsured or financially vulnerable people access quality healthcare.

8/17 Update:

At the recommendation of a lawyer, I have filed an expedited complaint with the NJ DOBI. If I don't receive my surgery before September 12th, I will run out of temporary disability benefits before I am even recovered from surgery and able to go back to work.

8/18 Update:

At this time it appears that I will be paying for the uncovered portion of surgery out of pocket in order to be on my way to recovery sooner rather than later. After talking to my doctors, the hospital, and anesthesia, my costs should be less than $20,000. Although insurance doesn't plan on paying, the entire cost will still be submitted to them. Once they deny the claim, then I will continue with filing an appeal on the claim through insurance, as well as an external appeal review.

8/20 Update:

Surgery is scheduled for Friday, August 25th! As of now, I will be paying out of pocket. I will still be able to appeal the claims denied by my insurance after surgery. I wish I could get this covered beforehand, but I can't wait another month or longer to sit around in pain while United Healthcare decides my fate.

8/23 Update:

Bad news today, of course. I'm almost used to it at this point. Despite 3 surgeons telling me I need this 2-part spine surgery, insurance is calling half of it "not medically necessary." Now I'm being informed that I don't qualify for Charity Care through the hospital because Charity Care will only cover "medically necessary" procedures. So apparently UnitedHealthcare is God now. The hospital wants $62,000 upfront (on top of the nearly $20k I need to pay to my surgeon), in order to go through with surgery on Friday. Not entirely sure how I'm supposed to come up with that. And of course UHC won't expedite a Second Stage Appeal for this procedure, because I'm not currently laying in a hospital bed dying. I pay them $7,500 a year and they are absolutely WORTHLESS. They would rather me be homeless than see me recovered and back to normal in 8 weeks.