MARSHALL, Mich. -- Mina Garza's worries over coverage for chemotherapy treatment are over. She's received a refund of more than triple the amount she said she was owed.
The cancer survivor fought off colon cancer twice now. But during her second fight, she battled Aflac Insurance Company simultaneously over coverage. Garza said the payments started out consistent and then became sporadic. It left her with an $1,800 debt. She said she tried getting this straightened out for a year and almost gave up.
"I contacted you, and you were just awesome," she said of the FOX 17 Problem Solvers team.
The Problem Solvers called Aflac on Garza's behalf. She said she finally heard from someone in the company who could help.
"He said that he was going to meet with his executive management and that they would get back to me by Friday, and he did," she recalled.
Aflac made things right by paying well over the original $1,800.
"That's all I was expecting, and I would have been thrilled to death. The actual amount they paid me was $6,600 which is awesome," Garza said.
So why so much more? During her battle, Garza received two types of chemotherapy treatment. She'd spend one day getting infusions inside the facility (in-facility) and the other two days she carried a pump. So that's two separate payments.
Well, now in addition to paying for the in-facility treatment, she said Aflac decided to pay for both days she carried the pump plus interest. That makes three separate payments.
As far as an explanation for the runaround, Garza said Aflac "never really said, 'We were wrong, or we didn't do it right' or whatever."
She said, "I think part of the frustration was every time you call you talk to a different claims representative. So you have to go through the whole thing and then they say, 'Well, we'll turn it over to our supervisor, and you don't ever get to talk to the supervisors."
She's glad she reached out to the FOX 17 Problem Solvers.
"You just did a fantastic job. I'm just, I'm so grateful," Garza said.
Aflac couldn't comment due to health privacy laws. Garza said the money comes in handy because she's closing on a house tomorrow. So it'll provide a cushion, and she said she has other medical bills to pay.
