Student Forced to Fly 700 Miles With Broken Ankle Due to Insurance Rules

A 25-year-old graduate student in Florida gained viral attention after she shared her journey back home to Tennessee to get medical care due to insurance coverage restrictions.

Anna Konstantopoulos shared the journey in a video with 1.2 million views on TikTok as she flew over 700 miles for an MRI scan. As she is still covered under her parents’ insurance plan with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, she could not receive coverage for medical services in Florida, even for an initial urgent care visit.

“I hurt my ankle four weeks ago, but I had to travel to Tennessee to get an MRI because I’m on my parents’ insurance (they live in Tennessee) and insurance wouldn’t cover any care in Florida,” Konstantopoulos told Newsweek.

Konstantopoulos has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a chronic condition that affects connective tissues and makes injuries more frequent and severe.

“I actually injured my ankle just by stepping on it wrong,” she said. “Initially, one of the doctors I saw was extremely skeptical that I actually had a fracture and denied me the MRI, saying it was ‘probably just tendonitis’ until I refused to leave without the referral. If it wasn’t for my parents, I wouldn’t have been able to get the medical care I need.”

After finally receiving the MRI, the results confirmed that her ankle was fractured. For four weeks, she had been walking, attending school and working without proper treatment.

Dalya Qualls White, senior vice president and chief communications officer at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, told Newsweek: “BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee offers a variety of plans to meet the needs of our members. Like other health insurers that sell in our state, we do have plans that are limited to a Tennessee-provider-only network (except for emergency care, which is always covered as in-network). This in-state-only approach allows us to make plans more affordable.

“We provide network details during the sales and enrollment process so members can make informed decisions to meet their needs. Our service representatives are always available to help members find in-network providers when they need to schedule care.”

Konstantopoulos’s story has resonated with many TikTok users, who shared similar frustrations in the comments.

One user wrote, “Girl, I feel this. I have Louisiana insurance but staying in Texas right now, so I keep having to drive back to Louisiana to see doctors.”

Another person commented, “American healthcare will never not absolutely confuse and astound me.”

Konstantopoulos was pleased that her video sparked conversation about health care access and her experiences living with chronic illness.

“I shared this story to document what it’s like living with a chronic illness and how difficult it can be to get proper health care,” she said.