Columbus resident receives surprise ambulance bill she wasn't responsible for

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Last year, approximately 83,000 people used ambulance services in Columbus and some of them may have received bills they did not need to pay.

It happened to a Columbus woman and she reached out to NBC4 Investigates, concerned after receiving a surprise bill for an ambulance ride. Sharon Sunseri thought her taxes paid for ambulance service. She had to call for an ambulance two separate times, for her husband.

The first time, she never got a bill, but the second time, she got a big one. Our investigation found, she wasn’t responsible for it and if she hadn’t asked questions, she’d be out a thousand dollars.

On Nov. 2, Sunseri called an ambulance for her husband. Two weeks later, she received a bill for $1,000. She used city ambulance services before, but never received a bill and couldn’t get any answers. "I feel discounted and I feel that my concerns are neglected," Sunseri said. 

Sunseri tried to confirm the payment would go to the city. However, she couldn’t get in touch with anyone in Columbus who could answer her questions. She called the number on the bill, got someone outside of Ohio and felt uncomfortable.

"She wanted my husband's name, date of birth, address, our insurance ID number, I believe she asked for his social. Just the red flags were just kind of going off," Sunseri said.

Columbus paramedics do not collect insurance information at the scene of an emergency. That is done later on. The city outsources billing to a third-party company: 'Change Health Care.' They were part of a massive data breach and may explain why Sunseri’s insurance information was not saved.  

"Our company that we utilize, 'Change Health Care' is a subsidiary of United Health Care. They had a tremendous data breach last year. So some of that data they had, I'm afraid, is gone. So I'm assuming her information may have been in the system before. Probably no longer is, which is why they sent the request for information," Columbus Public Safety Deputy Director George Speaks said. 

It's possible that some of the 83,000 people who used ambulance services last year, like Sunseri, got a bill when it actually should have been sent to their insurance company. 'Change Health Care' will send a request for insurance information if they do not have it. 

When Sunseri couldn’t get answers, she feared it was connected to the city’s data breach, that put half a million people’s sensitive information on the dark web. She was worried this bill was fake and a way to steal more of her information.

"If you receive a letter look to see that it says Columbus, City of Columbus on it," Speaks said. "Be leery. They will never ask for your full social security number." 

"The letter will actually have the city of Columbus letterhead on it. It will have your date of transport and it will have the hospital that you're taken to so you can be assured that you're not being scammed. No one would know that information but you," Speaks said. 

Columbus EMS says they do not have direct access to the billing service, but can answer general questions and help people get connected with the right resource.