SPRINGVILLE, Utah (ABC 4 News) - The loss of her leg devastated a BYU student who almost died in a tragic car accident, but now she faces another problem; how to come up with nearly a million dollars after the Utah Department of Health rejected her Medicaid claims.
Twenty-three-year old Emily Jacobs loved to tap dance, studied sociology at BYU and planned to marry. But, her life changed when a car accident severed her leg and almost took her life. “I immediately began to realize the reality of the situation and I was going between is it reality and I kept asking my friend is this a night mare?" Jacobs said.
But it was no dream and after 6 months of treatment that included an induced coma, reconstructive surgeries and intense pain Emily Jacobs now faces a new road block in her troubled life. "I don't have any insurance to help pay and the government which has programs to help people like me has decided not to.”
So far her treatment has racked up a bill of more than 850-thousand dollars in medical bills and the Utah Department of Health recently refused to pay her Medicaid claims. "They claimed I was not disabled because I can possibly in the future work again."
In a response to an Authorization to Disclose Health Information Form submitted to the Utah Department of Health by ABC 4 News, Public Relations Specialist Kolbi Young said, “We understand that this is an extremely difficult time for Ms. Jacobs. Upon applying for Medicaid, the only program that Ms. Jacobs could be considered eligible for is Disability Medicaid. As an agency, we are required by federal regulations to maintain and uphold eligibility guidelines in determining who qualifies for public assistance programs. In this case the State Medical Review Board provided an in depth review of Ms. Jacobs' medical records. It was determined that Ms. Jacobs would be able to do some type of sedentary work within nine months and therefore is ineligible for Disability Medicaid. Those guidelines are established by the Social Security Administration.” Jacobs does have the right to appeal this eligibility determination within 90 days.
Jacobs isn't sure she will ever walk again especially without the future medical care needed to get the prosthetic leg so she can get a job and start paying a million dollar medical bill. “Angry, hurt, I know so many people who in my opinion are not in as much need as I am who have Medicaid or Medicare or some form from the government and I don't,” Jacobs said.
