WESLEY CHAPEL — At 85, Kay Swanson spends her time in just two places: her bed and a wheelchair.
Her daughter, Kristen Swanson, told ABC Action News her mom requires 12 hours a day of home health care. Even going from the bed to a wheelchair can't be done without help.
Kristen, a veterinarian, relies on home health aides to care for her mom. But on May 1, the helpers suddenly stopped coming to her mother's Wesley Chapel home.
Kristen said she was shocked and thought someone had simply quit. But she said she was told the insurance wouldn't cover it anymore.
Her mother's Humana insurance paid for the aides. Kristen said she spent hours on hold with the company and sent multiple texts to her mom's caseworker, trying to find out what was going on.
“I finally got a hold of someone. And they told me, 'Well, the reason that she's been cut off of insurance is because she moved to Kentucky,'” she said.
The Swansons have no connection to Kentucky, but it is the address for Humana.
For a week, Kristen juggled the demands of her veterinarian job with the constant care her mom needed while trying to get Humana to fix the issue.
"I was overwhelmed, extremely,” Kristen said. So she called ABC Action News for help.
We asked Humana to review her claim. In an email, a spokesperson wrote:
Humana has researched the issue, been in touch with the member and has verified that the member’s coverage has been reinstated.
By that time, Kristen said her mother had been without professional care for two weeks.
Kay is now in a long-term rehab facility. The family hopes she can regain her strength and come home soon.
Meanwhile, Humana will not say if the address glitch affected other members.
If you or anyone you know is having an issue with insurance, the state has an insurance hotline.
