FL S0490

Persons arrested for state or municipal law violations are responsible for paying their own medical expenses incurred during or resulting from arrest, including care, treatment, hospitalization, and transportation.

County and municipal detention facilities may seek reimbursement for medical expenses of in-custody detainees and inmates first from the detainee's/inmate's cash account, then from insurance or health benefits, with authority to place liens on accounts or property.

Third-party medical providers must seek reimbursement in order from: insurance/health benefits, the detainee/inmate, and financial settlements, with reimbursement rates capped at 75-125 percent of Medicare allowable rates depending on service type.

Detainees and inmates with health insurance or other health benefits must assign those benefits to health care providers; those who willfully refuse to cooperate with reimbursement efforts may lose gain-time credits.

Charter counties with populations over 1.7 million or with hospital districts/public hospitals are exempt from paying third-party providers more than rates paid as of July 1, 2011; effective date is July 1, 2011.