Man billed $540K for 14 weeks of kidney dialysis

(CBS NEWS) – Over the past year, Americans reportedly borrowed an estimated $88 billion to pay medical bills. CBS News has partnered with Kaiser Health News and NPR on their “Bill of the Month” series, which uncovers shocking medical bills.

The latest installment looks at the cost of a life-saving dialysis treatment for 50-year-old Sovereign Valentine. Sovereign and his wife Jessica say their insurance company, Allegiance, said there were no in-network dialysis clinics in Montana. The company disputes this, based on their records.

“The doctor that I saw said, ‘you will do dialysis, or you will die,'” Sovereign said.

Sovereign used an out-of-network facility, and received a bill for more than $540,000 for 14 weeks of care.

Allegiance said in a statement that “the main issue here seems to be a misunderstanding about the availability and location of in-network dialysis centers in Montana… Allegiance later also made special arrangements for an in-network option in Missoula.”

Valentine’s insurance company paid more than $16,000, but the couple still owes the unpaid balance of more than $520,000.

“To me, that’s clearly just so wrong,” Jessica said. “It seems unethical.”

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