Consumer complaint received 2019-04-01
Company: BALANCED HEALTHCARE RECEIVABLES, LLC
State: OR
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Medical debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt was paid

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2019 I visited XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX, Oregon after suffering a fall and injuring my XXXX and XXXX. I provided my insurance information from XXXX XXXX at that time. Subsequently, I received a call from XXXX XXXX asking if I needed financial assistance. I told them no, I had insurance and had provided that information already. They did not appear to have the information, and so I was asked to provide it again. This was XXXX at the time. As of Monday XX/XX/XXXX, no Explanation of Benefits has been processed by my insurance company, XXXX XXXX for the emergency room doctors at this hospital. I just checked the website. Other bills for the same injury have processed-some of which still do not show me owing any money. 

On XX/XX/XXXX ( this XXXX ) I received a bizarre cell phone message from a Collection Agency in XXXX, NH purporting to represent XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX that I later found out is called Balanced Health Care Receivables. The voice message was threatening ... .left a note saying that if I was XXXX XXXX I needed to listen to the message, and if I wasn't, I needed to hang up right away as they were leaving me a message about collecting a bill that I may want to listen to in private. Please note ... this was a phone message on my cell phone! The caller spoke so fast, left no name, and the name of the company could not be made out on the phone message. I called the number that the call came from ( the number left in the message was garbled ). When I reached an agent at the Collection Company, I was asked to provide personal identifying information or they would not speak with me. I told the person I reached that I would not provide personally identifying information over the phone and I did not know what the call was in regards to. I told them that this could be a spoof to steal identity and I would not give out personal information. I also mentioned that my only visit to the doctor or hospital was related an injury and I was seen on XX/XX/XXXX. I told them the Hospital has my insurance information, and no EOB has yet been processed showing anything due from me. I also mentioned that it has not even been 30 days since the hospital emergency room visit, and that the contract the insurance company has with the provider is that they can not attempt to collect until an EOB is processed. 

The Collection Agency rep, XXXX XXXX, would not provide me any information about what this was about. She kept insisting that I provide personally identifying information about myself. She then told me she sent me a letter. I told her I have received no such letter. She said it was mailed XX/XX/XXXX and I probably just have not received it yet. 

This agency is located at XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX NH XXXX. Their phone number is XXXX. 

These are truly bizarre, intrusive, and threatening tactics to use to collect a debt that is not even owed at this point! It has not even been 30 days, and my insurance carrier has not even completed processing the claim, and they are trying some strong arm tactic to collect, and attempting to gain my personal identifying information. I will not fall victim to an ID theft scam, and I will not stand for threatening collection agencies leaving such bizarre messages on my phone.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation