Cobra vs. Medicare

[SJL]

My Cobra was due to end on April 27,2008.On April 22,2008, I received a letter from my insurance company stating that since I was eligible for Medicare, effective July,2007, that they deemed my Cobra as null and void.(this was received 5 days prior to my Cobra ending.) They returned my payments from July 2007 to present, making me responsible for all of the medical bills in this time frame. They approved every Doctor appointment I had and all treatments, the last one being on April 25th. This approval came 3 days after the letter dated 4/22/08, with Cobra supposedly over??? The amount we are talking about is roughly $140,000.

I have had my first appeal turned down and I am now working on my second appeal. I have spoken to attorneys and they seem to think that this is a Medicare problem and not Cobra? Has anyone had any experience such as this. I certainly hope not, but if anyone has any input, even remotely close to this, I would love to hear from you.
SJL