Michael B.
Lantern Care failed me when it mattered most
Despite my surgery being scheduled for November 14, Lantern failed to notify me that my insurance (Aetna) had denied coverage until I contacted them myself—just 10 days before surgery. By that point, I had already begun the strict pre-op requirements and made significant personal and financial preparations. Communication breakdown: No proactive updates. I had to chase Lantern for answers. Documentation errors: Aetna only received partial records, despite Lantern being responsible for submitting the full documentation. I had even updated my “Care Advocate” a month prior that I had completed the required sessions. Failure to advocate: I personally tracked down Aetna’s Clinical Policy Bulletin and confirmed directly with their pre-authorization department that my documentation met requirements. I forwarded this information to Lantern—yet my “care advocate” did nothing with it. Single point of failure: When I called Aetna last week, they had no record of any pre-authorization submission from Lantern. I was told Lantern has only one employee who communicates with Aetna about pre-auths—and that person does not speak to patients. This bottleneck means there is no accountability, no transparency, and no way for patients to verify or correct errors. Lack of support: My surgery is still showing scheduled for 11/14, but after calling twice (11/05 and 11/07) to ask how to appeal the denial, I received no follow-up as of 11/10—far too late. Impact: This left me stranded, stressed, and uncertain at a critical moment in my health journey. Lantern’s role is supposed to be advocacy and guidance. Instead, I experienced silence, mismanagement, and a process so fragile that one unresponsive employee can derail everything. Patients deserve better than to discover insurance denials only after they’ve already prepared for surgery. Bottom line: Lantern Care’s negligence eroded my trust. If you’re considering them as a company, be aware that you may be asking your employees to do all the chasing themselves—and at the worst possible time.