Over the past year, hundreds of you have asked Whistleblower for help. While we can't investigate each tip, we want to share more of what you tell us. In 2009, we started publishing a few tips each week to stimulate online discussion and create ways for our readers to help each other. Unlike our news stories, we have not verified this information. If you have a tip, send it to whistleblower@startribune.com.

A New Brighton woman wanted to be sedated while she had surgery to remove a fractured tooth. Her oral surgeon told her to check whether general anesthesia was covered by her insurance. She was told it would be covered for a complex extraction. Since her dentist told her that the tooth was cracked through the root and required surgery, she thought it would qualify as a complex extraction. "Procedure went well, so well that the surgeon classified the extraction as a simple one, therefore not eligible for insurance coverage, leaving me out over $400," she wrote. "I feel I did everything right, but it's tough to beat the codes." The surgeon's office told her there was no way of knowing whether the procedure was simple or complex until after it was started.
How can a health care consumer make an educated medical decision without having all the facts from her doctor? Is there anything this woman can do?