Colorado woman's name too long to fit on Medicare insurance card, causing claims to be denied

Before she can explain her problem, Colorado resident Carrie Ann Weinberger Morneault has to explain her name.

"My name is Carrie Ann Weinberger Morneault. That has been my name for 34 years," she said.

For years, as a teacher, she was known as Mrs. Weinberger. When she got married 34 years ago, she kept her maiden name and added Morneault.

"I should have made a choice," she said with a laugh. "But it's not my fault."

She knew her name was long. She just never imagined it would keep her health insurance from paying her medical bills.

Last year, Weinberger Morneault switched her Medicare Advantage coverage to Cigna. Soon afterward, denial letters began arriving for services including preventive care and physical therapy.

"You sign up with a wellness program, and you expect them to pay for your mammogram or your physical therapy or whatever it is, and they stop," she said.

She spent hours on the phone trying to get answers, often hearing different explanations from different representatives. Eventually, she said, someone told her the problem involved Medicare's character limits.

"Finally, on like call 17, I found out that Medicare has a character limit, which I didn't know what that meant," she said. "But that means there are only so many spaces for so many letters."

Her insurance card shortens her name in different ways. Sometimes it appears as C.A. Weinberger Morneault. Other times it appears as Car Weinberger Morneault. Meanwhile, her Social Security card and medical bills submitted by providers use her full legal name.

She said those discrepancies have resulted in claims being rejected.

"They are like, 'These aren't the same people,' and they wouldn't pay them," she said.

"Never mind that I have the same address, the same birthday, the same Social Security number, the same Medicare number," she added. "That's not enough."

Weinberger Morneault said some of the unpaid medical bills have now gone to collections.

She said she has delayed doctor appointments while trying to resolve the issue.

What began as frustration has turned into anger and desperation.

"I have the paperwork to potentially change my name," she said. "But I can't decide. I shouldn't have to change my name."

Now, she is sharing her story in hopes of connecting with other Coloradans who may have faced similar problems and found a solution.

"I know there are people with long names out there," she said. "If they all have to go through this, we need a support group."

A Medicare spokesperson suggested Weinberger Morneault contact customer service for assistance. CBS Colorado also contacted Cigna, now HealthSpring, about her case. A company spokesperson said representatives are working to resolve the issue. In a statement saying in part:  

"We have escalated the matter for review and are attempting to connect with the member and Social Security, as appropriate, to help address the issue. Because of privacy obligations, we cannot comment on a specific member's situation. I can tell you, however, that HealthSpring remains committed to assisting our members and resolving eligibility and claims issues as quickly as possible."