The bill establishes requirements for the creation of a healthcare provider lien. A healthcare provider lien is a lien related to charges for medical care provided to a person injured by the negligence or wrongful act of another person, which is asserted against money the injured person may receive from a personal injury claim or uninsured motorist claim. A healthcare provider or healthcare provider's assignee creating a lien must advise the injured person of their options for payment, including the use of benefits from an insurance plan or other payer of benefits, before or at the time of creating the lien. Before a person signs an agreement creating a healthcare provider lien, the healthcare provider or its assignee is required to disclose to the injured party that the healthcare provider is not a health insurer or payer of benefits, that unlike a health insurer or payer of benefits the lienholder is entitled to receive the full amount of the lien even if the injured party is not fully compensated from a settlement or judgment, that the lienholder is not required to contribute to the injured party's legal fees or costs, that the lienholder's compensation is based on the difference between the total amount of the medical bills and the negotiated amount, and of any business interests between the lienholder and the injured party's legal counsel or healthcare providers. The lienholder is required to provide notice to the injured party of the amounts billed under the lien as they are accrued, to the extent practicable, and to provide a final itemized statement that includes a summary of treatment provided, the amounts billed, and the total amount due and owing. The lien amount cannot include any additional amounts over the amount of the charges for services provided, billed at the provider's usual and customary rates. Except in the event of fraud by the injured party, the lienholder may only assign to a collection agency or debt collector an amount equal to the total amount actually paid to healthcare providers. A healthcare provider may assign a lien to another person or entity. The fact of the assignment, its terms, and the amount paid by the assignee is not discoverable or admissible as evidence in any third-party or first-party action, except in an action under the "Uniform Consumer Credit Code". The provisions of the bill do not apply to hospital liens. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
Sponsored bills
The bill requires the joint budget committee, for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2020, and for each fiscal year thereafter, to annually review 2 of the principal departments of state government using a zero-based budgeting method so that each principal department is reviewed once every 10 years. The joint budget committee must make appropriation recommendations based on such review. The bill requires the office of state planning and budgeting and each principal department subject to review to assist the joint budget committee with any additional information that the committee may need to complete the reviews.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
Currently, if a local government enacts a local law related to the disposition of abandoned intangible property it holds for an owner and the local law is inconsistent with the requirements of the "Unclaimed Property Act" (act), then the local law controls the disposition of the property. Sections 2 and 4 of the bill eliminate this exception effective September 1, 2019, so that a local government is required to comply with the act like any other holder of abandoned intangible property. Section 3 requires a local government that holds intangible property that was previously exempt from the act to pay or deliver the property to the administrator on or before January 1, 2020. Section 1 specifies that a county's discretionary power to dispose of abandoned personal property acquired by an elected official or county employee only applies to tangible personal property and does not apply to intangible property, which is subject to the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More