I don't think those 4 lines are for an appeal. I think it's for a quick grievance (I have BS of CA and it's practically the same insurance). sort of like when you went to a check up and they refused to pay because they didn't get enough info from your doctor. A formal appeal is many many many pages long and might take you up to two months to write out. It takes a long time to write one and I have hardly started mine.
I'm at the point where I'd rather just bag it all and file a legal notice against the hospital for a multitude of ineptness. A good example comes from Laurie Todd's book with examples of her appeal to her HMO.
http://adrsupport.org/eve/forums/a/t...1/m/8571067452
I was also wondering about the cost you mentioned. BlueShield and Blue Cross should cover the hospital bill. not the surgeon, vascular surgeon or anesthesiologist. they covered mine and it was somewhere between 60-70 grand. An absurd amount as far as I am concerned.