SEDONA — Jan Anderson was billed $59,181 for emergency hospital care in Glendale, Arizona, after experiencing transient global amnesia on April 10, 2025, but her insurer Molina Healthcare denied payment due to lack of prior authorization. Anderson was airlifted from a Sedona emergency room to Abrazo Health’s Arrowhead Campus after staff suspected a stroke; she was later diagnosed with transient global amnesia, a temporary and benign memory disorder, and discharged the following day with no long-term effects.

Anderson’s total charges from Abrazo Health included $35,302 for imaging, $8,147 for laboratory services, $8,146 for a special care unit, $5,532 for EKG services, and $2,054 for pharmacy. Although she was insured through a Molina Healthcare plan purchased on the federal Affordable Care Act marketplace, Abrazo Health initially billed her as a self-pay patient and did not collect her insurance information during her stay. Her first bill showed an insurance adjustment of $43,868.57 despite Molina having paid nothing, leaving her responsible for $15,312.43. Anderson filed complaints with members of Congress, the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions, and Washington state’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner to resolve the dispute.

Molina Healthcare denied the claim because “inpatient stays require prior authorization, or notification at the time of admission. No notification of admission or prior authorization was received from the hospital, so the claim was denied,” an appeal and grievance specialist wrote in an October letter to Washington’s insurance commissioner. Molina did cover Anderson’s emergency room visit in Sedona and her helicopter transfer to Glendale.

“I can’t get anyone to resolve it. It’s almost $60,000 hanging over my head,” Jan Anderson said. After KFF Health News contacted both Molina and Abrazo Health, Molina launched an internal review of the claim and Abrazo Health elevated the matter to high priority. A revenue director at Abrazo Health assured Anderson that if Molina continued to deny payment, the hospital would write off the balance and she would not owe any portion of the bill.

Linda Nofer, a spokesperson for Abrazo Health, stated that the hospital system is “committed to working closely with our patients to resolve billing questions and concerns.” Nicole Broadhurst, CEO of a Tennessee patient advocacy group, said Anderson’s insurance information should have been transferred between facilities and that she should not be held liable. Broadhurst added that situations like Anderson’s are “not uncommon, even though we have the No Surprises Act,” which generally prohibits out-of-network billing for emergency services.