Insurer puts cancer survivor on hold

CUMBERLAND, R.I. (WPRI) -- After battling breast cancer for years and finally beating it, the last thing Lori McKenna ever expected was a fight with her insurance company, but it eventually got to a point where she felt she was losing the battle.

McKenna was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago and opted for a lumpectomy, but two years later the cancer returned, leaving her with little choice.

"It was my life or my breasts, so I opted to do a double mastectomy with reconstructive surgery," she said.

She decided to hold off before having the final stage of reconstructive surgery.

"I think for most women, and speaking with other survivors, there's a lot of surgeries and you get burnt out," she added.

On her fifth anniversary of being cancer-free, McKenna decided it was time to complete her final stage of reconstruction. Even though the surgery is covered by most insurance companies, most require patients to pay out of pocket and then get reimbursed.

In March, she said she submitted her claim for reimbursement to United Health Care, which totaled around $2,500.

"I got one letter in the mail immediately, stating there was some type of appeal," said McKenna.

She tells us that her insurer requested more documents.

"I get that information and I wait a month, I call again, and then there's 'well, we didn't have that, there's another form that needs to be filled out'," she said.

Finally, after waiting seven months for reimbursement, she was fed up.

We contacted United Health Care, and within a few days McKenna heard from them. They said there was a mix-up with her claim.

They later sent us a statement, saying: "We were able to quickly resolve her issue once we were able to receive the correct claim form and confirm the additional information needed to process her coverage."

McKenna is just happy that this battle is now over as well.

Before having any procedure done, make sure you contact your insurance company first. Ask them to put in writing what documents you need for approval. Then, once you're approved, ask them to send something to you in writing as proof.