20 ONE Northside leaders and allies rallied at the corporate office of Centene, the parent corporation of Ambetter Insurance, and demanded justice for community member Erin Hoffman. Erin was unjustly billed $999 for a routine, in-network blood test.
“I called Ambetter over 10 times trying to get this resolved, I was left on hold for hours, hung up on and I even filed a formal grievance.” Ambetter failed to correct the bill for seven months, leaving Erin worried about going into medical debt. “To this day, I have not been told why my bloodwork bill was processed as out of network, and I don’t feel confident this won’t happen again in the future…The private insurance system is set up to make us feel alone, afraid and without support,” said Erin.
ONE Northside got involved. We organized calls on Erin’s behalf, we blasted Ambetter on social media, and we organized 1600 petition signatures calling on Ambetter to do better on behalf of Erin and their other customers. Finally, Ambetter responded and reduced Erin’s bill to $30. But no one should have to go through this in order to have their health insurance work for them.
We gathered to call on Ambetter to end its practice of denying claims for in-network care and we delivered 1,600 signed petitions in support of Erin and her bill. Mia also shared their story of being denied essential migraine medication by their insurer BCBSIL. “It happened to me, it happened to Erin, it could happen to you,” they shared. “The whole private insurance system is set up to fail us and put profit over care!!”
Our MC of the action also called out Senator Durbin and Duckworth for their refusal to co-sponsor Medicare for All “We need members of congress who know that the only way forward is to take profit OUT of healthcare…We are taking on and taking down these big insurance corporations to create a clear path for Medicare for All, the healthcare system that puts CARE over PROFIT!”
This is just the start! If you’re fighting with your insurance provider, you don’t have to do it alone. Share your story here and we will connect with you to support you in your fight: https://forms.gle/TRUXWPc5E5Vwbbmy6
And check out and share our post with pictures about the action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4228633943928350&type=3