House Bill 4743

    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 4743

        By Representative Jones






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to Pinellas County and

  3         municipalities in Pinellas County; authorizing

  4         the Board of County Commissioners of Pinellas

  5         County for unincorporated areas and for the

  6         boards of the municipalities within Pinellas

  7         County to provide by ordinance for liens in

  8         favor of all operators of hospitals in Pinellas

  9         County and in favor of Pinellas County when it

10         pays for medical care, treatment, or

11         maintenance of qualifying residents of the

12         county and hospitals within such

13         municipalities, respectively, upon all causes

14         of action, suits, claims, counterclaims, and

15         demands accruing to persons to whom care,

16         treatment, or maintenance is furnished by such

17         hospital or is paid for by Pinellas County on

18         behalf of a qualifying resident of the county

19         or accruing to legal representatives of such

20         persons, and upon all judgments, settlements,

21         and settlement agreements entered into by

22         virtue thereof on account of illness, injury,

23         deformity, infirmity, abnormality, disease, or

24         pregnancy giving rise to such causes of action,

25         suits, claims, counterclaims, demands,

26         judgments, settlements, or settlement

27         agreements, and which necessitates such care,

28         treatment, or maintenance; authorizing the

29         Board of County Commissioners of Pinellas

30         County and the board of the Pinellas County

31         municipalities to provide by ordinance for the

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 4743

    111-175-98






  1         attachment, perfection, priority, and

  2         enforcement of such liens and for such

  3         procedural and other matters as may be

  4         necessary or appropriate to carry out the

  5         purposes of said ordinances; providing that the

  6         lien be limited to the greater of either the

  7         worker's compensation rate in effect on the

  8         effective date of this act or the

  9         nongovernmental, commercial health insurance or

10         managed care contractual rate applicable to the

11         injured person at the time medical care or

12         treatment was rendered plus the amounts for

13         which the patient is personally responsible;

14         providing an effective date.

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16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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18         Section 1.  The Board of County Commissioners of

19  Pinellas County for unincorporated areas of the county and the

20  boards of the municipalities of the cities within Pinellas

21  County are authorized to provide by ordinance for liens in

22  favor of all operators of hospitals in Pinellas County and in

23  favor of Pinellas County when it pays for medical care,

24  treatment, or maintenance of qualifying residents of the

25  county and in such municipalities within Pinellas County upon

26  all causes of action, suits, claims, counterclaims, and

27  demands accruing to persons to whom care, treatment, or

28  maintenance is furnished by such hospital or is paid by

29  Pinellas County on behalf of qualifying residents of the

30  county, or accruing to the legal representative of such

31  persons, and upon all judgments, settlements, and settlement

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 4743

    111-175-98






  1  agreements entered into by virtue thereof on account of

  2  illness, injury, deformity, infirmity, abnormality, disease,

  3  or pregnancy giving rise to such causes of action, suits,

  4  claims, counterclaims, demands, judgments, settlements, and

  5  settlement agreements, and which necessitated such care,

  6  treatment, or maintenance; and to provide by ordinance by the

  7  municipalities and county for the attachment, perfection,

  8  priority, and enforcement of such liens and for procedural and

  9  other matters as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out

10  the purposes of ordinances. The lien shall be limited to the

11  greater of the following:  either the worker's compensation

12  rate in effect on the effective date of this act or the

13  nongovernmental, commercial health insurance or managed care

14  contractual rate applicable to the injured person at the time

15  medical care or treatment was rendered plus the amounts for

16  which the patient is personally responsible.

17         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

18  law.

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