NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO searching for missing endangered adult Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a missing person.
The Weather Authority: Scattered storms for your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking afternoon scattered storms for Saturday this Labor Day weekend.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 2 The Golden Eagles took down the Cougars 64-7 to win the Crosstown Showdown for the 26th year in a row.
NAPLES Naples mayor speaks out after DUI arrest Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann has sent a statement to WINK News after being charged with a DUI.
FORT MYERS Woman stabbed at Fort Myers gas station Authorities responded to an active scene at a 7-eleven in Fort Myers after a woman was stabbed early Friday evening.
FORT MYERS FMPD investigating a van that followed a student from bus stop Police said a suspicious van followed a middle school student home from the bus stop on Thursday and yelled, “Get in the van.”
CAPE CORAL Report: Teen was on crosswalk when she was hit The driver of the box truck told officers he didn’t see Kendra as she rode in front of him, and he started to go.
FORT MYERS BEACH Celebration of Jimmy Buffet Day at Margaritaville Friday was Jimmy Buffett Day at Margaritaville and Fort Myers Beach is gearing up for a fun party all weekend long.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County deputies hold training for mental health encounters Charlotte County deputies are entering the community equipped with a new tool for handling mental health: the crisis initiative training.
Neighbors worried about flooding in Rotonda Heights Neighbors in Rotonda Heights are fed up with the flooding and they want to see it fixed.
ORLANDO Smart living moms reclaim their careers Betsy Gardner president and CEO of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce started Relaunch, a program to help stay-at-home moms.
FORT MYERS BEACH A closer look at the gas leak that killed 2 men at Fort Myers Beach home A closer look at the gas leak that killed two men in Fort Myers Beach has revealed some new details leading up to the deaths.
SANIBEL Sanibel CVS Pharmacy reopening after Hurricane Ian The CVS Pharmacy in Sanibel is reopening nearly two years after Hurricane Ian caused severe damage to it.
FORT MYERS Woman transported after boat hits large wake under Midpoint Bridge A woman had to be transported to the hospital after suffering an injury when the boat she was in struck the wake of a yacht.
NEW YORK (AP) Trump has history sparking outrage for incidents around veterans even as military voters backed him The reported altercation at Arlington National Cemetery involving Donald Trump’s staff was far from the first time that veterans or the families of service members have criticized the former president for words or behavior they saw as disparaging.
NORTH FORT MYERS LCSO searching for missing endangered adult Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a missing person.
The Weather Authority: Scattered storms for your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking afternoon scattered storms for Saturday this Labor Day weekend.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 2 The Golden Eagles took down the Cougars 64-7 to win the Crosstown Showdown for the 26th year in a row.
NAPLES Naples mayor speaks out after DUI arrest Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann has sent a statement to WINK News after being charged with a DUI.
FORT MYERS Woman stabbed at Fort Myers gas station Authorities responded to an active scene at a 7-eleven in Fort Myers after a woman was stabbed early Friday evening.
FORT MYERS FMPD investigating a van that followed a student from bus stop Police said a suspicious van followed a middle school student home from the bus stop on Thursday and yelled, “Get in the van.”
CAPE CORAL Report: Teen was on crosswalk when she was hit The driver of the box truck told officers he didn’t see Kendra as she rode in front of him, and he started to go.
FORT MYERS BEACH Celebration of Jimmy Buffet Day at Margaritaville Friday was Jimmy Buffett Day at Margaritaville and Fort Myers Beach is gearing up for a fun party all weekend long.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte County deputies hold training for mental health encounters Charlotte County deputies are entering the community equipped with a new tool for handling mental health: the crisis initiative training.
Neighbors worried about flooding in Rotonda Heights Neighbors in Rotonda Heights are fed up with the flooding and they want to see it fixed.
ORLANDO Smart living moms reclaim their careers Betsy Gardner president and CEO of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce started Relaunch, a program to help stay-at-home moms.
FORT MYERS BEACH A closer look at the gas leak that killed 2 men at Fort Myers Beach home A closer look at the gas leak that killed two men in Fort Myers Beach has revealed some new details leading up to the deaths.
SANIBEL Sanibel CVS Pharmacy reopening after Hurricane Ian The CVS Pharmacy in Sanibel is reopening nearly two years after Hurricane Ian caused severe damage to it.
FORT MYERS Woman transported after boat hits large wake under Midpoint Bridge A woman had to be transported to the hospital after suffering an injury when the boat she was in struck the wake of a yacht.
NEW YORK (AP) Trump has history sparking outrage for incidents around veterans even as military voters backed him The reported altercation at Arlington National Cemetery involving Donald Trump’s staff was far from the first time that veterans or the families of service members have criticized the former president for words or behavior they saw as disparaging.
A UnitedHealthcare facility is shown in Cypress, California. Photo by Mike Blake/Reuters A major insurance company wants to cut back on covering visits to the emergency room, but pushback has led UnitedHealthcare to announce they will delay the new policy until after the pandemic is declared over. If UnitedHealthcare goes through with it post-pandemic, people on a Medicare Advantage Plan or Medicaid would not be affected. The aim is to have the insurance company and their customers save money but experts say the consequences could be more costly or even deadly. The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) strongly condemned the decision by UnitedHealthcare to retroactively deny emergency care claims. “While we’re dismayed by United’s decision, we are not, unfortunately, surprised to see an insurance company once again try to cut its costs at the expense of necessary patient care,” said Mark Rosenberg, DO, MBA, FACEP, president of ACEP. “UnitedHealthcare is expecting patients to self-diagnose a potential medical emergency before seeing a physician, and then punishing them financially if they are incorrect.” The health insurance giant was slated to instate a new policy on July 1, but after public backlash, has decided to defer implementation until the pandemic is over. ACEP said they believe that the new policy is in direct violation of the federal Prudent Layperson Standard, which requires insurance companies to provide coverage of emergency care based on the presenting symptoms that brought the patient to the emergency department, not the final diagnosis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 3% of emergency visits are “non-urgent.” With 90% of symptoms overlapping between non-urgent and emergent conditions, in many instances, even physicians cannot know if a patient’s symptoms require emergency treatment without conducting a comprehensive medical examination. They say it’s the very reason the Prudent Layperson Standard exists, to protect patients. Throughout the pandemic, ACEP and other medical societies have been encouraging the public to not delay medical care, especially in case of an emergency. ACEP says decisions like this from insurance companies could severely undermine collective efforts to get the virus under control. Anthem, which operates Blue Cross, announced a similar policy in the past, leading to a lawsuit from ER doctors. That litigation is still continuing. For Lori Nespoli, the new policy is not fair. “I’m like, I should just go to the ER, I’m having an issue. But then again, it’s like, do you ride it out? Like, you just don’t know,” Nespoli said. “I’ve had a primary care [doctor] tell me to book an appointment with a specialist. If I can’t get into a specialist and I’m still having issues, just go to the ER, because it would just be faster to get tests done.” The idea is to get people to use less expensive options for non-emergencies, like urgent care clinics. “The cost reduction they may be expecting may not really exist, depending on who is looking for that help or not looking for help,” said Amir Neto, an economic expert with Florida Gulf Coast University. Neto said people might start to avoid treatment which could make their health deteriorate and end up costing more. And people with lower incomes will be the most affected. “It’s really hard for us to tell if it’s an emergency or not,” Neto said. “That’s the big thing.” Nespoli thinks about her sister who died of an aneurysm last year. “It’s always in the back of my mind,” Nespoli said. “Someone like her who should have gone to the emergency room, but had she called the doctor probably on Friday on a holiday weekend, they would have told her to just get out, see an orthopedic or put ice and heat on it.” Neto said now is time to reconsider your insurance provider, if you can, and save for potential health costs. Lee Health feels the policy could be dangerous. They sent WINK News the following statement: “Lee Health stands with the American Hospital Association in encouraging UnitedHealthcare to reconsider their new emergency department coverage policy. This policy asks patients to make medical decisions they are not trained to, and could lead to catastrophic health outcomes if people become hesitant to seek emergency care when they truly need it. This is a dangerous policy that is not in the best interest of patients or their safety.” American Hospital Association President and CEO Rick Pollack had this to say: “Today’s announcement from UnitedHealthcare to delay its new policy on emergency coverage offers a temporary reprieve for patients, and we urge its full and permanent reversal. If enacted, this policy would have a chilling effect on patients seeking emergency services, with potentially dire consequences for their health. It is also part of an unfortunate pattern of commercial health insurers denying care for needed services. Patients should have the confidence to seek the emergency care they need without worrying about coverage being denied. There is no justification for these restrictions now or after the public health emergency.” Here is UnitedHealthcare’s response: “We have decided to delay this program. Based on feedback from our provider partners and discussions with medical societies, we have decided to delay the implementation of our emergency department policy until at least the end of the national public health emergency period. We will use this time to continue to educate consumers, customers and providers on the new policy and help ensure that people visit an appropriate site of service for non-emergency care needs.”