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Action 9: Woman struggled to get refund after insurance paid bill

None — A Charlotte woman paid part of an ambulance bill, but when her insurance covered it, she said she couldn't get a refund.

Leila Pelzer is still recovering from a broken thigh bone that happened last summer that required her to be transported twice by Medic.

Thinking her insurance may not pay, Pelzer paid $150 toward the bills from Medic, which amounted to more than $1,800.

"Normally when we get a bill, we pay it," Pelzer said.

But paying on her bill ahead of her insurance turned out to be a big mistake. Later, her insurance paid the entire Medic bill, creating an overpayment.

But Pelzer said she had trouble getting her $150 back.

"I have been calling since September trying to get my money back from them," she said.

She said the billing office for Medic in Atlanta told her they would send her a refund check but then told her she wasn't due a refund.

"It made me feel very frustrated," Pelzer said.

Action 9 put in a call to Medic to ask them to investigate. Medic Deputy Director Jeff Keith blamed the mix-up on the Atlanta billing office.

"Things fall through the cracks and that's where, unfortunately, that's where our billing company fell short," Keith said. "The second we were contacted, we put into place a process to handle all customer needs immediately."

One day after Action 9 contacted Medic, Pelzer was walking out of the agency's office with her long-awaited $150 refund check.

"I just appreciate your help in getting it rectified so quickly," Pelzer said. "I'm happy. I'm very happy."

To avoid overpayments in the future, she said she will let her insurer pay their portion of medical bills first.