company called l.a. chai. if you had comment how this program was run? horribly. reporter: he says they approved surgery for his cancer. absolutely they will take care of everything, no worries. reporter: what happened when you got out of the hospital? it took 48 hours to get pain meds. reporter: nbc news spoke with nearly lhi members, many with post traumatic stress, who describe being hounded by collection agencies after bills went unpaid, struggling to get appointments, endlessly waiting on hold and bounced around on the phone. you have to call routinely because everything requires a phone call and approval? if i need a cat scan, i have to get approval from them. if i need an mri, i need approval from them. reporter: what is happening to 9/11 survivors who are part of this program? they re being forgotten. their needs are being unaddressed as well as minimized. reporter: tiffany young, a lead case manager and sierra