MILWAUKEE - Imagine this: you have serious back problems. Insurance won't cover your surgery, and you can't work. That's what happened to a Milwaukee area woman, but then, she "Called 4 Action."

Connie Shepard started dealing with back pain in the early 90s.

"We did epidurals. We did physical therapy. We did ultrasound with heat waves," Shepard said.

Those remedies stopped working and then, this June, Shepard reached her limit.

"I was supposed to go to work one Sunday morning, and I literally couldn't walk," Shepard said. She had to stop work as a hospice nurse.

Surgery was the only option for this single mom. The day before her operation, Shepard's health insurance provider, Anthem, Blue Cross/Blue Shield denied her coverage.

"I was extremely shocked. I was blown out of the water," Shepard commented.

Her request was now in a 30 day review process.

"Thirty days was 30 days too long. I needed it now," Shepard said.

Out of options, she contacted "Call 4 Action" and volunteers found a clause in Wisconsin's law most of us don't know about. If a patient needs care now, meaning that 30 day delay could jeopardize your life or health, you can ask to bypass the insurer's internal grievance process.

"You just kind of have to know what your rights are," Call 4 Action Director Karen Stiles said.

She helped Shepard break through the system. Stiles points out one of the problems is the location of a company's claim center.

"If you have an organization that's processing your claim out of state, they might not understand the rights you have in the state of Wisconsin,” Stiles said.

One way patients can protect themselves: know your health care coverage.

"Before you need the health care, make sure you understand what services you do or don't have, what the procedures are for getting that care,” Stiles said.

Shepard had her surgery a few weeks ago. Insurance covered it. Now, she's spending time with her boys, and healing. Shepard also hopes to share what she's learned about the system.

"Because of Call 4 Action, I'm now able to tell people, you have options. Get out there and find out what they are and you can move the system,” Shepard said.

Shepard plans to get back to nursing this fall. So far, there are no problems with insurance on her post op care.