Monterey, CA : Hospital Patients Being Harassed By Debt Collectors While In The Hospital!

Monterey, CA : Hospital Patients Being Harassed By Debt Collectors While In The Hospital! :  View From A Non-Profit Serving Carmel, Carmel Valley, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California

There was an unbelievable story in the New York Times today about hospital patients recovering after surgery and waking up to have a bill collector instead of a nurse at their bed side.  The nation's largest collector of medical debts, Accretive Health, is being investigated by the Minnesota attorney general who believes this type of behavior is happening at hospitals nationwide.  What a tragedy to be recovering from major surgery, only to have the added stress of having a bill collector harass you.  It's well known that stress can bring on major medical issues, and it's almost certain that some of these people could have had their recovery hindered by this unacceptable behavior.  The article went on to say that debt collectors were hanging around in emergency rooms demanding that patients pay before they receive treatment!  They dress like hospital employees and some discourage those in the ER from seeking care if they don't have the funds to pay for the visit, using boiler room scripts.  The Attorney General has accused the company of having access to patient health information which might be in violation of federal privacy laws.  According to documents which have been unveiled, employees of Accretive Care were told to stall patients entering the emergency room until they had paid balances due.  They were told to ask the patient for a credit card and if they didn't they would say, "If you have your checkbook in your car I will be happy to wait for you."  It's believed that these activities violated the Emergency Medical and Active Labor Act, a federal law requiring hospitals to provide emergency health care regardless of citizenship, legal status or ability to pay.  I haven't heard of this happening locally, and let's hope this bad publicity puts a stop to these terrible tactics.  Hospital patients need to recover in peace, with as little stress as possible.