Bills › 88th General Assembly
Relating to the payment of required medical aid provided to prisoners of county jails
Sponsored by the Senate Judiciary Committee
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedFebruary 21, 2019
- Done: SubcommitteeMarch 26, 2019
- Done: Senate committeeFebruary 21, 2019
- Done: Passes the SenateApril 16, 201949–0
- Skipped: House committeeSkipped
- Done: Passes the HouseMarch 21, 2019
- Done: To the GovernorApril 29, 2019
- Done: Signed into lawMay 17, 2019
HF 685 became law → The same legislation passed as HF 685, so this version was set aside. Go to HF 685 What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
This bill relates to the payment of required medical aid provided to prisoners of county jails. The bill provides that while it is the duty of the keeper of a jail to furnish necessary medical aid to a prisoner, the prisoner has the primary responsibility for payment of the costs of the medical aid provided. The bill requires a provider of the medical aid to seek reimbursement from sources in the following priority order: (1) from a health insurer, if the prisoner is entitled to payment or reimbursement for the costs of the medical aid under the terms and provisions of a policy, plan, contract, or other agreement with a health insurer, (2) from any other available source, including, when appropriate, the United States department of veterans affairs, the United States social security administration, the department of human services, or other similar source, and (3) upon demonstration, by affidavit as provided in the bill, that reimbursement is not available, in whole or in part, through either the first or second priority source, from the appropriate governmental agency, if the governmental agency is otherwise required by law to pay for the costs of the medical aid.
Read the full explanation
If a governmental agency is required to pay for the medical aid, payment must be made within days, at the Medicare rate, the Medicaid rate, or the rate negotiated between the governmental agency and the provider, whichever rate is lowest. A provider of medical aid is not required to file suit in a court of law or retain the services of a collection agency to satisfy the required demonstration that reimbursement is not available. Unless otherwise provided by law, a governmental agency is not responsible for payment of the costs of any medical aid provided to a prisoner if the medical aid is provided after the individual is released from the custody of the governmental agency or when the individual is released on parole. A governmental agency presenting a prisoner for medical aid shall notify the provider of the medical aid of all information available to the governmental agency concerning potential sources of payment. The bill does not preclude a city or a county from seeking reimbursement from a prisoner for the costs of medical aid incurred by the city or county for the prisoner’s medical aid, and medical aid provided to prisoners at a state-funded hospital shall be provided through state funds received by the hospital.
Senate subcommittee
Named January 15, 2020. It hasn’t reported yet.
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part
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88th General Assembly