A former Mayo Clinic employee said she had to pay around $1,000 for going to urgent care after part of her face was suddenly paralyzed from Bell’s palsy. (She said she discarded the bill and could not provide a copy to the Reformer.)
She said she called at least 100 general practitioners in the Bay Area until she found one who would take Mayo insurance. Getting an appointment with a neurologist was further delayed because Medica took weeks to confirm it would cover the appointment with a specialist.
She ended up switching to her husband’s insurance plan even though it came with a $7,000 deductible because it had in-network providers she could access. She quit Mayo shortly after, and is paying off $10,000 of medical debt.
“I was bitter after that experience … You assume the top hospital network in the world, theoretically, would take care of its employees,” she said.