Health insurance exchange error has man facing $1 million in bills

LAS VEGAS (KSNV & MyNews3) — What started as an opportunity to find affordable health insurance through the state health insurance exchange became a stack of bills totaling more than $1-million in medical debt.

Kynell Smith, 35, has encountered a tangled web of problems, from typos to the blame game, as he has tried to get this fixed. As the medical bills continue to stack up, he has turned to attorneys for help.

Smith just wanted to find a more affordable plan that complied with the Affordable Care Act. He had been covering his family through Cobra, which can be pricey.

He started by enrolling for insurance through Nevada Health Link. For starters, the premium was almost $1,600 a month, much more expensive than Cobra.

Then, disorganization: “In December, I submitted a payment and they couldn’t find it,” Smith said.

Beginning in January, he was paying the pricey premium and taking his children to the doctors. The insurance carrier, Anthem, had no record of them, and those visits ended up not being covered.

When they received their insurance cards in February, the birth year was wrong for his wife, which was another paperwork nightmare as she was ready to give birth to their fifth child.

“They admitted her on February 21st; the baby came on February 24th; and the day after she was in surgery; and then spent close to 40 days after that in the hospital,” Smith said.

Between their daughter Kinsley being in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and his wife Amber’s appendix bursting, bills have skyrocketed to about $1.2 million and growing. They have been unsuccessful trying to have baby Kinsley added to the policy.

But Smith’s checks are being cashed; he has spent countless hours on the phone.

“I think it’s a disaster. I don’t know who to blame, and I really don’t care who’s to blame,” Smith said.

Xerox, which is still operating the exchange website, released a statement saying:

“This is a priority matter for Xerox. As you might imagine, this is a very complicated case involving many more companies than just Xerox.”

Anthem says it’s working diligently to help the Smiths, but puts responsibility on Xerox.

Smith has joined a growing list of people who have had extreme difficulties with insurance through the exchange, including Larry Basich, who owed nearly half a million dollars. They are now involved in class action lawsuits against the exchange and Xerox.

News 3 contacted Nevada Health Link for comment, but is still waiting to hear from them.

Smith says when open enrollment begins in November, he will not be using the exchange for his family’s insurance.

Health insurance exchange error has man facing $1 million in bills