Health Champion Real Health Care Success Stories – Health Champion

Health Champion Testimonials: What Our Clients Say, in Their Words...


Real Life Health Care Challenges - and Solutions by Health Champion

These testimonials from Health Champion clients provide insights into how our advocate services are transformed into real life health care solutions. At Health Champion - we help you face real life health care challenges - and suggest cost effective and productive solutions.

"When my employer released me due to an illness, I had no idea what to do next. My employer was uncooperative... their parent company was uncooperative... and the group that provided their disability insurance was the worst of all. They all assumed because I was so focused on trying to get well and find another position, I would just give up and go away.

At that point, Ida and her team came to the rescue. She helped make sense of what was going on and what I needed to do. Ida dealt with my former employers and two insurance companies to protect my rights and make sure I received the benefits I was due. These companies knew that Ida, as my advocate, meant business and would not be deterred. Ida made herself available to me at all times, followed up regularly, and I knew from our first conversation that she was someone I could trust. Her encouragement and positive attitude helped keep me going.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that my husband and I would have lost our home without Ida and Health Champion's services. And the best news. I have a new job that I love!

Ann F., Caldwell, NJ

When a health advocate can save you $25,000, I'd say it's a good day! I was devastated by my medical expenses from Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital; at the end of my treatment, I had an outstanding balance of $53,000. Health Champion went to work on my behalf and negotiated the balance down to $28,000. I'm thankful every day for their intervention.

Ahmed N., Greenwich, CT

Today is a good day. We learned that our child is going to be able to get the medical treatment she deserves and that had, until now, been denied her by our insurance company. Health Champion made this happen. We needed immediate and costly hospital care for our 12 year old child. She suffers from a rare and debilitating disease, and if we were not to lose all hope of having her live a normal, productive life, she needed care at once.

Our appeals, grievance letters and phone calls went either unanswered, went astray, were otherwise delayed or were bounced from person to person until no one knew whose job it was to deal with our case. Our request for immediate attention, our right under law, was finally answered over a month later; We were denied coverage, and lost our first appeal. We were informed we had one more right to appeal, and that decision would be final.

Through our attorney we learned of Health Champion. We spoke with Ida Schnipper who, after our call, accomplished more in four hours [on a Friday afternoon, beginning at 2:00] than we had managed to accomplish in 6 weeks.

Through their intervention, my family achieved a just solution to what had been, before we employed their services, a bureaucratic nightmare. We did not anticipate this type of shuffle -­ after all, we had 'good' insurance coverage and are "savvy" consumers. We learned that we understood almost nothing of real importance or use, nor did we have a grasp of how to negotiate the shadow world of health-care coverage. We needed somebody who spoke the language of health care companies. Health Champions are native speakers. They knew whom to contact and what to do to enable us to obtain a favorable outcome. Their deep experience in this field allowed them to ask the right questions, both of us and of the insurance company.

If this sounds like a rave, it is.

We are real people who had a frightful experience that we should have not had to endure. We are grateful beyond measure to Health Champion for not only the work they did in our behalf but also for the way in which they performed that work. Everyone we spoke with was straightforward, uniformly kind, and generous with their time. They helped buck us up when things looked dark. They identified difficulties with our case and explained the possible courses of action and outcomes. There was never a moment in which we felt abandoned to indifference or lack of information. This kind of support was one of the most valuable resources Ida and her team offered us during our battle.

Once Health Champion was involved with the case, it was resolved, resoundingly in our favor, within less than a week and a half. We are very grateful to Ida and her staff.

Melanie L. and Michael E., Maplewood, NJ

Sometimes the details escape us. That's what happened when we placed my father in a Medicare Advantage program when he was already in a skilled nursing facility. Apparently, we needed prior authorization for payment to the facility, which we didn't have. Health Champion got my family out of the middle of this situation and saved us the $30,000 we were being billed. They worked fast and hard on our behalf.

Bill H., Orange, CT

I was having so many problems getting the care I needed and then getting my health plan to pay for out of plan doctors, even though they said they would. They even said my treatment was not medically necessary. Health Champion stepped in and helped, right through the appeals process. They even wrote to the insurance commissioner on my behalf. They also worked with my individual doctors to arrange a 20% discount on out-of-pocket payments. Not only did they save me money, they showed me how to save on my weekly lab expenses. They stayed with me through the entire ordeal and I can't thank them enough.

Fred L., Farmington CT

After becoming unemployed, Health Champion helped me sort through the confusing choice of healthcare plans and explained what each one meant. They then referred me to a very knowledgeable insurance broker, who was able to walk me through the process of applying for - and ultimate acceptance into - a suitable plan for my needs.

Kathy, Burlington, CT

My wife and I have coverage with a major Connecticut health insurer; she recently required complex medical care and during the middle of her procedures, and in the middle of our current year of coverage, the insurer informed us that our high deductible was starting all over again. This exposed us to thousands of dollars in additional out-of-pocket expenses.

We tried reasoning with the insurance company, and our agent also went to bat for us with them; neither effort was successful and we encountered the proverbial Brick Wall. In the middle of a personal health crisis this was a really devastating blow.

Then we learned about Health Champion and asked Ida Schnipper for help. Ida and her team went to work; within 48 hours she had resolved the problem, restored our already-satisfied deductible to the end of our coverage year, and we're made whole once again.

Health Champion skillfully and quickly navigated us out of a bureaucratic morass; they saved us a considerable amount of money and their warm professionalism brought us great comfort. We are so grateful to have had them in our corner!

Mike M, Shelton, CT

Life has been very challenging for me. I am in my 80's. My adult son is disabled and in a residential care facility. He has no income except for Social Security disability. And then I get a letter from Anthem of California saying they'd paid for his care in error and wanted their $43,000 back. Apparently Medicare should have paid the claims. Health Champion untangled the mess, got the money back for Anthem and then helped me get my son on state and federal programs to help with his prescriptions and other costs. I felt like I was going to lose everything; I couldn't have done this without Health Champion.

Anita L., Southbury, CT

It's hard enough having cancer and getting chemotherapy. Dealing with claims and billing is enough to throw anybody over the edge. I was going to Yale New Haven for treatment and they told me I was going to have to pay out-of-pocket, that it wasn't covered by my health plan. Health Champion stepped in and got the proper authorization from my insurance company. They even explored options for me so that I could take my Florida vacation and receive my chemo treatments. Thank you, thank you, Health Champion.

Margo L., Branford, CT

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your assistance. It seemed like an insurmountable difference between Anthem and the provider and no one was willing to budge. Your involvement resulted in a quick resolution after months of frustrating calls and threatening letters. Kudos to you and Health Champion for a job well done!

Thanks Again!

Stan C.