Indiana Code 32-33-4-3.5. Restrictions on hospital lienholder
(b) As used in this section, “hospital lienholder” means:
Terms Used In Indiana Code 32-33-4-3.5
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Judgment: means all final orders, decrees, and determinations in an action and all orders upon which executions may issue. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
- Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
(2) a hospital owned, maintained, or operated by the state or a political subdivision;
that has a lien under this chapter.
(c) If a hospital lienholder settles or compromises a claim in an amount less than the amount of its lien, the hospital lienholder is barred from seeking any additional reimbursement from the patient or the patient’s representative.
(d) A hospital lienholder is barred from seeking from the patient or the patient’s representative payment for any amount of the hospital’s charges that exceed the patient’s financial obligation to the hospital under the terms of any private benefits to which the patient is entitled, including the terms of any health plan contract and medical insurance. The lien must reflect credits for all payments, contractual adjustments, write-offs, and any other benefit in favor of the patient.
(e) A hospital lienholder is barred from enforcing the collection of charges covered by this chapter until the cause of action, suit, or claim accruing to the patient has been resolved by compromise, settlement, or judgment.
As added by P.L.173-2013, SEC.3. Amended by P.L.205-2013, SEC.342.