Ambulance company still aggressively collecting medical debt during COVID-19 pandemic скачать в хорошем качестве

Ambulance company still aggressively collecting medical debt during COVID-19 pandemic

When severe pain from an intestinal blockage sent Barbara Kelso to the emergency room three different times in 2018, she was taken away by ambulance. Kelso, 69, of Beaverton had Medicare coverage, which paid for part of the ride. The ambulance provider, Metro West billed Kelso for the balance of $775. It was an overwhelming cost for Kelso, who lives off Social Security benefits and works part-time as a clerk at Target. “If I were wealthy, I would have paid in a flash,” explained Kelso. Instead, she agreed to make small payments with any money left over after paying for food, rent and utilities. In May, Kelso unexpectedly received notice she’d been sued. The ambulance company, Metro West had turned over her account to a third-party collector. Wakefield & Associates filed a lawsuit in Washington County seeking to collect on the unpaid ambulance bill, along with interest and service fees. “It’s like squeezing blood out of a turnip,” explained Kelso. “I don’t own property. I don’t own a house. I don’t own a car. I have nothing.” Medical debt collection lawsuits, filed on behalf of hospitals, clinics and ambulance companies against patients for unpaid bills, were common long before the coronavirus hit. Now, consumers are facing an onslaught of new suits filed after tens of millions of people lost their jobs in the pandemic and don’t have money to pay their bills. Subscribe:    / kgwnews8   Get the KGW app: https://kgw.com/appredirect