My wife was Life Flighted in another state, but I’m not certain that we’re insured

My wife was on a river trip in Utah/Colorado yesterday when she suffered a head injury. Her family pulled her over to the beach where she was responsive but confused. Within 30-40 minutes, an unrelated commercial river party was passing by that happened to have two surgeons on board who helped gave my wife aid. It was their professional opinion (and the trip leader who was EMT trained) that she needed to be flown to a hospital for CT scan and MRI since the right side of her body had a 7-8 second delay in responding to commands. Apparently she argued and tried refusing the lift, but between her dad and the docs, she eventually agreed. There were closer hospitals, but the closest hospital that had what she needed was in Grand Junction, Colorado. I'm not sure exactly where on the river they were or if they crossed state lines. The river runs through both Utah and Colorado. The details are murky, but when the commercial party leader called for the helicopter, they also dispatched an ambulance and a jet boat that were several hours away due to miscommunication. They only asked for the lift. Fortunately, her scans came back fine, and she was discharged later that evening with a severe concussion.

This is complicated by the fact that my insurance ends tomorrow. We live in North Carolina, but I quit my job earlier this month. My last day was June 14th. I start my next job in Utah on July 8th. I reviewed my benefits through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, and it says that coverage ends at 11:59 PM on the last day of the month following termination of eligibility. The plan covers air ambulance only when "ground transportation is not medically appropriate due to the severity of the illness or the pick-up point is inaccessible by land." My out of pocket maximum looks like $13,000, but I'm not really sure how any of that works. Is it really possible that the whole thing will be limited to no more than $13,000 minus whatever copays etc. we've already paid this year?

Also, the ER docs told my wife that she should follow up with her primary doc within 7 days. She doesn't want to do that because we won't have insurance after tomorrow. However, if she doesn't follow the order, could that give the insurance company a reason to deny a claim?

I'm here because we're scared and don't really know what to expect. I really hope we're covered as far as timing and also services. However, I always hear horror stories of insurance companies finding creative ways to deny coverage. If anyone has advice on what I should do, not do, and ask about, I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

Edit: I'm 35 years old (wife is 32). Unemployed at the moment but will earn $144k when I start my new job next month.

submitted by /u/latticep
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