Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry has filed a lawsuit against Jason Michael Fullmer, a chiropractor based in Mechanicsburg, accusing him of misleading patients about insurance coverage and resorting to debt collection tactics when patients failed to pay out of their own pockets. The lawsuit alleges violations of the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law as well as the Pennsylvania Fair Credit Extension Uniformity Act.
The lawsuit centers around Fullmer’s business, Central PA Spinal Health Chiropractic, LLC, where he allegedly promised patients that their chiropractic services would be covered by their health insurance providers. However, complaints revealed that Fullmer either failed to submit insurance claims or neglected to provide the necessary documentation to insurers, leaving patients responsible for large medical bills.
Of particular interest to the collections industry is the accusation that Fullmer engaged in aggressive and potentially unlawful collection practices. The complaint details instances where patients were threatened with debt collection actions shortly after receiving services, even before claims were properly submitted to insurance companies. In one case, a patient was reportedly sent to collections less than two weeks after an initial appointment, with the debt inflated beyond the original service cost.
The lawsuit also alleges that Fullmer attempted to deflect blame onto insurance companies, encouraging patients to file complaints against insurers with the Attorney General’s office. This tactic allegedly served as an attempt to coerce payments from insurance companies for claims that Fullmer himself had failed to submit properly.
“This chiropractor did a disservice to patients seeking care by either intentionally misleading them about insurance coverage or neglecting to send their claims to their insurance providers,” Attorney General Henry said in a statement. “Patients were left with substantial invoices and threatened with collection actions if they did not pay up.”
