ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
Colleen Ryan beat breast cancer in 2011, but found herself in the middle of a different kind of fight when she moved to Southwest Florida in 2019. Her bill for a bone density shot that used to cost $10 in Illinois, was $2,500. “(I have to get the shot) Otherwise I’m going to be at higher risk for osteoporosis and broken bones,” said Ryan. She is supposed to get an injection of the drug Prolia three times a year as long as she is on cancer maintenance drugs. But, because of her fear of another huge bill, she has decided to skip the shot until she finishes her maintenance next year. Ryan said when she called Lee Health to find out why the charge was so high, they could not provide an explanation. The fee appears as part of the “facility” charge on the bill. “In a hospital outpatient department, you do split out the physician or the care provider piece from everything else. So, it’s not just the cost of the building; it could be, you know, the drug that was administered to you or shot that you had, other things like that,” said Mary Briggs, system director for strategic communications for Lee Health. Briggs would not provide specifics about Ryan’s bill. However, WINK News looked at a copy of the itemized bill for Ryan and discovered that the 60mg shot was listed with “60 quantities.” But according to a certified professional coder that handles medical billing for several physician’s offices, that quantity was not a billing mistake. “It’s one of those tricky things that if you’re not in the field of medical billing, then it does look like 60 shots. It is billed by unit and it just so happens that this is an expensive drug,” said Lindsay Horn, who reached out and offered to look at Ryan’s bill after the story first aired on WINK News. The real culprit leading to the high charge for the shot: Ryan’s high deductible insurance plan. Ryan’s health insurance changed when she moved from Illinois to a plan that required thousands of dollars spent upfront before the insurance carrier covers any costs. Horn also said patients who need this type of injection can save money by having it administered at a standalone physician’s office, and not a hospital-based facility. She looked up the price using Ryan’s insurance plan information and found that it would have cost her $1,200 instead of $2,500. Once Ryan met her deductible, there would not be a charge for the shot the rest of the year. According to Amgen, which makes Prolia, about 40% of people on commercial insurance will pay higher out of pocket costs to receive the drug. Amgen offers a drug discount program that can lower costs to around $25 a shot for people in those situations. Ryan said she wished Lee Health would have alerted her about the high upfront cost before she had the shot. After disputing the charge, Lee Health agreed to lower Ryan’s bill to just $250. Briggs said courtesy adjustments are offered on a case-by-case basis. “We understand that physician and hospital bills can be difficult to understand, so Lee Health offers personalized assistance for patients who have questions about their bills. You can call our financial representatives or come in and meet one-on-one to walk you through your bill or help you reconcile your bill with your insurance coverage,” said Briggs. Horn said that it’s actually more important to look at the explanation of benefits statement from your insurance company before paying any bill you receive from a physician or a hospital. An explanation of benefits will break down the contracted rate the provider is allowed to charge you and show you how much of it you owe based on your out of pocket copays, coinsurance, and deductibles. WINK News is taking an in-depth look at health care in our Cost of Care series. If you have a story you want to be heard, whether it’s a high medical bill, an insurance dispute or a medical procedure gone wrong, send us an email to costofcare@winknews.com.