The Arizona Supreme Court is scheduled to rule Monday on whether hospitals can go after lawsuit settlements to get full reimbursement for costs of providing care for patients covered by the state's Medicaid program.
The justices are considering an appeal following lower court rulings that split on whether hospitals can record and enforce liens on settlements that patients get from other individuals or entities.
The liens seek payments to the hospitals that would cover the difference between what the hospitals got from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and the larger amounts that the hospitals billed for their services.
The case involves operators of hospitals in the Phoenix area and other areas across the state, including Tucson, Flagstaff, Casa Grande, Cottonwood and Page.
