Insure giant finally foot the bill
Central Pk. blast teen wins payout fight
An insurer has finally agreed to cover the cost of a prosthetic for the Virginia teen who lost part of his leg after stepping on an explosive in Central Park over the summer, but it’s still refusing to pay for his wheelchair.
UnitedHealthcare reversed its decision to deny payment for the $20,000 artificial limb for Connor Golden, 19, who needed a below-the-knee amputation after the freak explosion near East 60th Street during the Fourth of July weekend.
His parents said the family has been fighting with the insurance giant for at least three months to prove their son needed the prosthetic to walk.
“UnitedHealthcare has shown themselves capable of denying even the most compelling claim,” father Kevin Golden told NBC News. “In my mind, there can be no real issue as to whether this is necessary or not. He clearly needs the prosthetic.”
The company said it paid only $1,000 when the claim was first submitted because there was confusion about whether it was part of an in-network benefit.
“This provider is not in our network, so we needed to review additional information in order to process these claims appropriately,” spokeswoman Maria Gordon-Shydlo said in a statement to the network.
“We have since received this information and are paying for the prosthesis.”
But Golden’s doctor, Adam Finnieston, said the teen’s insurance plan included out-ofnetwork benefits that should have prevented the delay.
While it will cover 90 percent of the limb’s cost, the insurer denied payment for Golden’s wheelchair because he is “not a full-time wheelchair user.”
Advocates say amputees are often refused payments.
“We’re not talking here about a one-off. We’re talking about something we all hear over and over again,” said Dave McGill, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics & Prosthetics. “This is shameful.”
Golden’s family, meanwhile, has raised more than $80,000 on GoFundMe for his care.
The University of Miami student was scaling rocks in the park with pals on July 3 when he stepped on the explosive. The NYPD said it was likely a homemade firework.