A Florida couple was able to get a $2 million health insurance error corrected after they realized the error involved mistaken identity, Orlando TV station WFTV reports.
The error came to light when Kim Barding saw $2.2 million in medical bills being processed by her insurance company, Cigna, she told the station.
She and her husband, Vance Barding, realized the bills were related to the death of her husband's identical twin, Vince Barding, who had been burned in a work accident. He was airlifted to Orlando (Fla.) Health and died in September from complications after six weeks of hospital care.
Ms. Barding told the TV station that Cigna had billed the couple for Vince Barding's care and that nearly $3,000 had been deducted from her health reimbursement account.
Cigna has stopped billing the couple, and the money has been returned to Ms. Barding's account, she said.
In a statement obtained by WFTV, Cigna attributed the issue to "a large number of claims submitted in error by healthcare providers."
"We have spoken with these providers to alert them to these erroneous bills and our resolution on behalf of the customer," the statement added.
Orlando Health told Becker's in a statement that incorrect eligibility information was provided to Orlando Health and claims were mistakenly paid by Cigna.
"Orlando Health was made aware of the error and immediately began working with all parties involved to ensure correction and resolution," the statement says. "We are proud of our patient advocate team and our processes that ensured Orlando Health's ability to catch and correct the error."
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