Bills from unnecessary welfare check?

[Tomme6729]

I live in Idaho. This occurred in Moscow, ID.

I woke up intoxicated on the sidewalk with scrapes all over me. I started walking home. I didn't get home because police, ambulance, and fire truck were all waiting for my outside of my apartment. They ask if I was in a fight. I said no. I agree to go to the hospital. I get checked out and they decide I was fine. Repeat: I was FINE. JUST SCRAPES AND BRUISES. Months pass and I get hospital and ambulance bills which my insurance mostly pays for.
The police report says this was a welfare check.

My issue comes with the fire department.

The fire department sends me a bill much later. They call and I give my insurance information to them. They stop calling. A year passes and they start calling again. I tell them I gave my insurance information. They say they have no record of that. Meanwhile the bill has incurred interest charges. The fire department billed me simply for "showing up" although they were not directly called or asked to arrive. They did literally nothing but watch the police and EMT do their job and none of it was necessary anyway because I was fine.
I'm left with a big bill. It is outside of the time frame where I could submit a claim to my insurance company I had at the time (I changed insurance companies). They performed no services, nobody asked them to come, and they want to be paid?

So the collections agency keeps calling and sending letters. I'm not concerned because it isn't on my credit report. However, one day it could be. I want to know if there is anything I can do to avoid paying this bill which in my mind is completely unjustified.

 

[Zigner]

I live in Idaho. This occurred in Moscow, ID.

I woke up intoxicated on the sidewalk with scrapes all over me. I started walking home. I didn't get home because police, ambulance, and fire truck were all waiting for my outside of my apartment. They ask if I was in a fight. I said no. I agree to go to the hospital. I get checked out and they decide I was fine. Repeat: I was FINE. JUST SCRAPES AND BRUISES. Months pass and I get hospital and ambulance bills which my insurance mostly pays for.
The police report says this was a welfare check.

My issue comes with the fire department.

The fire department sends me a bill much later. They call and I give my insurance information to them. They stop calling. A year passes and they start calling again. I tell them I gave my insurance information. They say they have no record of that. Meanwhile the bill has incurred interest charges. The fire department billed me simply for "showing up" although they were not directly called or asked to arrive. They did literally nothing but watch the police and EMT do their job and none of it was necessary anyway because I was fine.
I'm left with a big bill. It is outside of the time frame where I could submit a claim to my insurance company I had at the time (I changed insurance companies). They performed no services, nobody asked them to come, and they want to be paid?

So the collections agency keeps calling and sending letters. I'm not concerned because it isn't on my credit report. However, one day it could be. I want to know if there is anything I can do to avoid paying this bill which in my mind is completely unjustified.

If you felt it was unjustified, why did you give them your insurance information?

 

[Shadowbunny]

You were passed out on the sidewalk because you were intoxicated. Calling the fire dept was a reasonable response. Of course you owe the money.

 

[Zigner]

When did this occur?

 

[justalayman]

Actually I tend to agree with the op on this one, with reservations. Unless there was some justification for the fire department to be called to the scene I don't see any basis for charging for services so;

Have you asked the folks at the fire department why they were there?

 

[Zigner]

Actually I tend to agree with the op on this one, with reservations. Unless there was some justification for the fire department to be called to the scene I don't see any basis for charging for services so;

Have you asked the folks at the fire department why they were there?

Fire dept. generally rolls when there's a heart attack - and the folks who called this in only saw a man lying unconscious on the street. I don't think it's unreasonable for them to be there.

ETA: Interestingly enough, the ambulance seems to be part of the fire department in Moscow, ID: https://www.ci.moscow.id.us/fire/Pages/ems.aspx

In THAT case, I would also question the separate charge, since it seemingly should have all been wrapped in to one charge.

 

[LdiJ]

Fire dept. generally rolls when there's a heart attack - and the folks who called this in only saw a man lying unconscious on the street. I don't think it's unreasonable for them to be there.

ETA: Interestingly enough, the ambulance seems to be part of the fire department in Moscow, ID: https://www.ci.moscow.id.us/fire/Pages/ems.aspx

In THAT case, I would also question the separate charge, since it seemingly should have all been wrapped in to one charge.

The fire trucks roll with the ambulances here all the time. Most of the townships have volunteer fire departments and they automatically all roll together. There is not a separate charge for one or the other. Its just one charge.

 

[Zigner]

The fire trucks roll with the ambulances here all the time. Most of the townships have volunteer fire departments and they automatically all roll together. There is not a separate charge for one or the other. Its just one charge.

However (and what we don't know) is if the ambulance that responded was part of the volunteer fire department. There are other ambulances serving that community. Perhaps the OP can enlighten us...

 

[not2cleverRed]

The title is incorrect.

The "welfare check" was not unnecessary.

You were not home. Someone was concerned.

It is very unusual for people to wake up on the sidewalk, intoxicated or not, scraped up or not, when they perfectly suitable housing. There *was* something wrong with you. The person who was concerned had a reason to be concerned.

As far as the $ issue... what everyone else said.

 

[paddywakk]

Actually I tend to agree with the op on this one, with reservations. Unless there was some justification for the fire department to be called to the scene I don't see any basis for charging for services so;

Have you asked the folks at the fire department why they were there?

My guess is someone thought they needed a paramedic.

In many areas now, ambulances are driven by an emergency medical technician only and if a paramedic is required the fire dept meets the ambulance at the scene.

Saves the ambulance company a TON of money - big difference between an EMT and a paramedic.

 

[HRZ]

IN some communities the government attempts to recover call out costs from people who are insured ...but does not bill people who are not insured ..perhaps,your community has such a practice / ordinance ....I think it's wacky logic ..but I know some towns have such recovery practices .

 

[Zigner]

IN some communities the government attempts to recover call out costs from people who are insured ...but does not bill people who are not insured ..perhaps,your community has such a practice / ordinance ....I think it's wacky logic ..but I know some towns have such recovery practices .

The OP is not a resident of the city that provided the services - THAT is why he's being billed.