An uninsured man left with a hefty ambulance bill thought he did everything right to get it paid off.
Because of his economic hardship, Ken Crenshaw’s hospital bills were taken care of through a special payment program. But taking care of the cost of ambulance service was a different story.
It started last July, when he suffered a heart attack. His friend rushed him to the hospital in Greer.
“When I got to Greer, they didn't have the necessary equipment to do the procedure because I had two stints put in, so they took me by ambulance to Greenville Memorial."
That ambulance ride cost him $717, on top of the thousands he owed from his hospital bills.
Being unemployed and uninsured, he applied for financial help.
“The lady came around when I was getting out of the hospital and had me sign up for a hospital sponsorship to help pay my bills. And so they finally paid off on all my bills,” said Crenshaw.
But Greenville County EMS that provided his ambulance ride is separate from the hospital, so he still owed the $717.
“They told me I needed to write them a personal letter telling them about my hardship,” said Crenshaw. “And then I went beyond that and got a letter from the free clinic."
Crenshaw says he also sent in a copy of the hospital assistance he received as more proof, and called several times to get answers.
“It seemed like anything I did, you know, tried to do, it didn't work,” said Crenshaw.
He says a letter from a collection agency was the final straw, so he called 7 On Your Side.
We called EMS Management Consultants based in North Carolina, which provides the billing service for Greenville County EMS. A spokesperson told us they have received all of Crenshaw's paperwork and would fix his account to reflect that he no longer owed any money.
The company also said it will use Crenshaw's case to help make its billing system more efficient.
Now with the bill behind him, and his new job driving a big rig, Crenshaw says he's thankful.
“Thank you ma'am, thank you so much," said Crenshaw.
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