Magellan Health Services of AZ Magellan of Arizona Denied Emergency Psychiatric Insurance Coverage. Even though only 1 Bed in town. Phoenix, AZ Nationwide

I was brought in by a crisis response team because my friends thought i was acting strange.  I was having a maniac bipolar episode. This was my first ever.  I was in a full psychosis and completely unable to make decisions, drive a car, make a phone call. I was taken to a local emergency room where I sat for 6 hours.  A social worker came in a gave me 2 choices. I could go home and the police would come and take me away in handcuffs in front of my children to the state mental hospital, OR I could go voluntarily to the only facility in town that had a bed available at an inpatient pysch facility.

She failed to mention that my insurance HAD NO out of network coverage for that facility. Upon arrival to the facility I had a full psychotic breakdown and attempted to escape.  It took 10 security gaurds to subdue me. They shot Haldol in my arm and strapped me to a restraint bed for most of the night.  I spent 6 days at the facility. On day 5 at 5:30 PM a social worker informed me that my insurance would not cover the visit. She said the bill was at $4500.00. I left the next morning.

I recieved a bill for $17,380.30. Best of all I had gotten a new job in the meantime and I now work for the hospital i owe the money to.  They are going to payroll deduct my paycheck down to minimum wage.  I have a family of four I support.  We will be homeless on minimum wage.  The Pyschiatrist at the facility said I was the sickest patient he had at the inpatient unit but i did not qualify for emergency care according to magellan because I was not suicidal or homicidal.  I filed and appeal with magellan and was denied because they notified the facility on day 4 of a six day stay that i had no coverage.

I am a Registered Nurse with a bachelors degree that is suffering from a newly diagnosed severe mental illness. I had insurance for mental health, no one notified me of not being covered  at that facility until the fifth night of a 6 day stay. Because I work for the facility that I owe the money to they will deduct my paycheck  down to minimum wage. I have no means of paying this bill, I already live paycheck to paycheck, I rent and have no assets.