Indiana town to collect on $1.9 million in delinquent ambulance accounts

An audit of the 2010 books in Merrillville, Indiana, found numerous discrepancies in the town's financial reporting, and new procedures have been implemented to curtail the weaknesses, the Post-Tribune reports. It was found that the town underreported cash and investments by nearly $550,000, receipts by $1.6 million and disbursements by $1.4 million. Because of the poor reporting, nearly $1.9 million in ambulance bills are also yet to be paid, even though the town's Emergency Management Services department was eliminated two years ago. As a result, Merrillville town officials have employed help from a collections agency to recoup the missing funds, the news source notes in a separate article. According to clerk-treasurer Gene Guernsey, the town won't seek compensation from Medicare or Medicaid patients who are in the process of making payments, but all others should expect to receive a call from collections. The media outlet notes that some of the delinquencies are from accounts dating as far back as January 1999.