Consumer complaint received 2021-06-10
Company: MEDCAH, Inc.
State: HI
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Medical debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged

Complaint:
Hawaii XXXX XXXX XXXX contracted XXXX XXXX to collect outstanding debts for medical provider services for ambulance rides. 

The dates of service for these ambulance rides were XX/XX/2017 and XX/XX/2017. The account numbers were XXXX and XXXX. Both dates of service, Hawaii XXXX followed an ambulance ride protocol agreement they have with the VA. I presented my VA XXXX XXXX XXXX card to the EMT professionals and I believe they billed the VA using my Social Security Number as my policy number when they simply could have taken a picture or copied my VA ID when I arrived at the medical facility. They failed to do so. I signed a written agreement with Hawaii XXXX so they can assume control of the billing inquiries and the EMT told me everything is in order since I presented my VA Card as well as a XXXX XXXX ID DD Form 2 ( counting as a government ID as a driver license would ). They also explained to me they would notify the VA within 72 hours of the ambulance ride so they may obtain an authorization for care in the community. 

The EMT service failed to follow the protocol they agreed to, in which I consented to and identified myself properly with on the day of the ambulance rides signed and acknowledged by the EMTs for Hawaii XXXX as well as myself. 

I come to find Hawaii XXXX did not obtain authorization with the VA within 72 hours and their claims were denied and I believe at one point they also used the wrong number to bill with.

The accounts were turned over to a collection agency, MEDCAH, in which I had terrible customer service with and they threatened to report this information to the credit bureaus instead of help me resolve this situation and hear my side of the story and inquire themselves with the medical provider since they decided to contract the debt. 

I explained the situation and they told me I am 100 % liable. One representative I spoke with told me that none of what I am saying matters because the insurance did not pay and now I am liable. They explained they will continue to hold this on my credit report until I make a payment. 

The collection agency is hired out by the provider and they only care about collecting money for the provider. So, they outrageously threaten me with damaging my financial reporting to the credit bureau and refuse to observe legal processions that in a sense act as by - laws with medical providers and certain insurance companies. I asked the debt collector to provide me with my rights as the debtor to include disputing and reporting processes. When I spoke to XXXX, he told me this information may not be provided to me. 

A collection agency should not ignore insurance agreements that act as by-laws, they should not deny debtors rights, especially during the times of this pandemic, and should not threaten to retain financially damaging information on credit reports. The provider itself should be the one eating the costs based on the agreement I had with XXXX the moment I took the ambulance rides and based on the information I provided to the debt collector, it should have warranted further research based on the insurance/ VA standards of medical reporting I gave to the debt collector.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation