PALM HARBOR, Fla. (WFLA) – Paul Himelhoch, an 81-year-old Palm Harbor man who says he’s owed nearly $1,000, called 8 On Your Side recently after dealing with what he calls an insurance mix-up.
The problem apparently started after a clerical error. Himelhoch says he dealt with the issue alone for months.
“It was impossible, they kept on switching me from department to department,” said Himelhoch. “It was a vicious loop constantly.”
Himelhoch says he switched to Humana health insurance in April, in part to pocket extra cash each month.
According to Himelhoch, one of the incentives of the new plan was that he would get approximately $110 more a month in social security.
Immediately, he noticed a problem. Himelhoch says the card he got listed the wrong plan number.
“The salesperson kind of screwed up a little bit and submitted the wrong documentation to the company,” he said, “who submitted the wrong documentation to Medicare.”
The card was quickly fixed.
But as the months passed, Himelhoch never saw an extra penny. He called 8 On Your Side when he was tired of getting the runaround.
“I couldn’t believe it when I got a call back on a Sunday.”
Nancy Hanewinckel, a Humana spokeswoman, sent 8 On Your Side the following message:
“Thank you again for bringing this matter to our attention. Although privacy laws dictate that we cannot get into specifics, Humana always works diligently to research and resolve any issue as quickly as possible. I’d encourage you to contact Mr. Himelhoch at your convenience for an update and status of the matter.”
Himelhoch says the day after we got involved, a Humana troubleshooter called him personally to investigate and correct the problem.
As of Tuesday night, he says he still doesn’t have his money.
“I want you to stay on top of it, with the pressure that you give I think results get done.”
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