Lee County Sheriff investigates crash injuring pedestrian at University VillageGunshots heard in a Cape Coral neighborhood
Lee County Sheriff investigates crash injuring pedestrian at University Village The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a crash that injured a pedestrian at the University Village Shops in Lee County.
CAPE CORAL Gunshots heard in a Cape Coral neighborhood Neighbors have reported hearing multiple gunshots in the early hours of the morning in Cape Coral.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Tracking the Tropics: Patty forms in North Atlantic, tracking Caribbean development An area in the Southwestern Caribbean has a high, 80% chance of developing over the upcoming week.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Warm weekend with spotty showers, daylight saving time ends tonight The Weather Authority says Saturday is starting nice and dry with some passing clouds and pleasant conditions.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 11 The Lehigh Lightning beat the Sarasota Sailors in a Monday night matchup to earn their first win of the season in week 11.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man files injunction against city over Jaycee Park A Cape Coral man has filed an injunction against the City of Cape Coral over the renovation of Jaycee Park.
CAPE CORAL Brothers gain highest Boy Scout award for repairing food pantry General Manager of the Adventist Community Services Alexandra Berru said she couldn’t be more grateful for the twin brothers.
2 Vietnam veterans raise $20,000 for monument in Naples Two Vietnam veterans raised over $20,000 to create a Vietnam monument at Cambier Park in Naples.
BONITA SPRINGS Lee County to pick up debris on Estero and Hickory boulevards After three weeks of hard work clearing mountains of sand from Estero and Hickory boulevards, Lee County crews are ready to switch gears to storm debris collection along these main county roads.
SANIBEL Are our habitats on the brink of a slow collapse? For two years, Sanibel Island’s delicate ecosystems have been battered by unrelenting storm surges, leaving behind dead trees and tainted freshwater pools.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres driver wants more safety measures for State Road 82 A Lehigh Acres man wants other drivers to know to pay attention. He also wants the county, city or state to put some more patrols out here.
SANIBEL What beaches are experiencing red tide issues now? Parts of Southewst Florida are dealing with red tide. But it’s not impacting Sanibel or beachgoers there.
NAPLES Naples Police Department begins celebrations of 100 years of service The City of Naples Police Department will hit 100 years of service in November of 2025, and they are now beginning their year of celebrations.
ESTERO FGCU students and professor weigh in on upcoming election As the nation gears up for a pivotal election, a question lingers among young voters. Will students turn out to vote?
New procedure helping disc pain Neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain and arm pain can all be caused by a herniated disc. If left untreated, this can become debilitating and lead to nerve damage.
Lee County Sheriff investigates crash injuring pedestrian at University Village The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a crash that injured a pedestrian at the University Village Shops in Lee County.
CAPE CORAL Gunshots heard in a Cape Coral neighborhood Neighbors have reported hearing multiple gunshots in the early hours of the morning in Cape Coral.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Tracking the Tropics: Patty forms in North Atlantic, tracking Caribbean development An area in the Southwestern Caribbean has a high, 80% chance of developing over the upcoming week.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Warm weekend with spotty showers, daylight saving time ends tonight The Weather Authority says Saturday is starting nice and dry with some passing clouds and pleasant conditions.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 11 The Lehigh Lightning beat the Sarasota Sailors in a Monday night matchup to earn their first win of the season in week 11.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man files injunction against city over Jaycee Park A Cape Coral man has filed an injunction against the City of Cape Coral over the renovation of Jaycee Park.
CAPE CORAL Brothers gain highest Boy Scout award for repairing food pantry General Manager of the Adventist Community Services Alexandra Berru said she couldn’t be more grateful for the twin brothers.
2 Vietnam veterans raise $20,000 for monument in Naples Two Vietnam veterans raised over $20,000 to create a Vietnam monument at Cambier Park in Naples.
BONITA SPRINGS Lee County to pick up debris on Estero and Hickory boulevards After three weeks of hard work clearing mountains of sand from Estero and Hickory boulevards, Lee County crews are ready to switch gears to storm debris collection along these main county roads.
SANIBEL Are our habitats on the brink of a slow collapse? For two years, Sanibel Island’s delicate ecosystems have been battered by unrelenting storm surges, leaving behind dead trees and tainted freshwater pools.
LEHIGH ACRES Lehigh Acres driver wants more safety measures for State Road 82 A Lehigh Acres man wants other drivers to know to pay attention. He also wants the county, city or state to put some more patrols out here.
SANIBEL What beaches are experiencing red tide issues now? Parts of Southewst Florida are dealing with red tide. But it’s not impacting Sanibel or beachgoers there.
NAPLES Naples Police Department begins celebrations of 100 years of service The City of Naples Police Department will hit 100 years of service in November of 2025, and they are now beginning their year of celebrations.
ESTERO FGCU students and professor weigh in on upcoming election As the nation gears up for a pivotal election, a question lingers among young voters. Will students turn out to vote?
New procedure helping disc pain Neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain and arm pain can all be caused by a herniated disc. If left untreated, this can become debilitating and lead to nerve damage.
While staying in Naples for the winter, Margaret Sheahan and her mother Mary Beth found themselves in a dilemma all too common during 2020: they were exposed to COVID-19 and needed a test before potentially exposing more members of their family. When they showed up at Well-Being Medical Center they were asked to pay $150 each, upfront, for a test. “I had asked the woman and she said, Well, we’re having trouble with insurance. So we just charge upfront. And as long as the insurance pays, we refund your money,” Sheahan said. But she said that’s not what happened. Documents show that Medicare paid the clinic just $68 of that $150, so that is what Mary Beth was refunded. Margaret Shehan’s insurance documents show a charge of $48 to the clinic, but then she was never refunded any money. “That’s a warning sign. If you’re being asked to pay for COVID testing. I got red flag, red flag, coming to my mind because you shouldn’t have to,” said WINK News Health Care Hacker Jon Hess with Athos Health. Hess said this is an example of balance billing and it’s not permitted for COVID testing with Medicare or private insurance. “Laboratories enrolled in the Medicare program must accept the COVID-19 testing assignment, cannot balance bill the beneficiary and there is no cost-sharing for it,” wrote Carolina Garcia, with the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services Press office. According to Hess, providers that have contracts as an “in-network” provider with insurance companies would be violating their contract by balance billing for a COVI19 test. “I would file a complaint with your insurance company if this happens to you,” said Hess. Shehan filed a complaint with Medicare and ended up contacting her bank to reverse the charges when she didn’t receive a refund. In May, WINK News contacted Well-Being Medical Center to inquire about testing services. By phone, a representative said they are no longer billing insurance for COVID-19 testing and charging everyone a $70 flat fee which includes patients on Medicare. Dr. Ricardo Martinez, who owns and operates the clinic, told the Sheahan’s by email that he would not be refunding any money. After several emails and unreturned phone calls from WINK News, he wrote: “I am a very busy guy, do not have time for this, I instructed my staff to tell you about this. I do not have to answer any questions, but I will make an exception this time. What they are telling you is just a bunch of lies. “They were here vacationing and needing a NEG test to go back home to IL. Faking they were exposed to COVID, when in fact both tests came back NEG. I refunded their insurance companies because testing was NOT medically necessary and both Mary and Margaret are fully financially responsible for services provided by my practice. Please, do not contact me about this issue anymore. I hope you have your answer.” Margaret Sheahan disputes the claims that the tests were performed for travel purposes. She said her insurance company is in communication with Martinez regarding the situation. Mary Beth said she has an ongoing complaint with Medicare regarding the situation. You can schedule a no-cost COVID-19 test if you have commercial insurance or Medicare at most CVS and Walgreen’s locations. If you are not insured, you can find a state-run test site here or by contacting the Florida Department of Health.