Loading...
All persons admitted or committed to the Hassler Hospital, Laguna Honda Hospital, or San Francisco General Hospital of the City and County of San Francisco, or who receive prehospital emergency medical services from the San Francisco Fire Department, except under provisions of Subsections (10) to (14) inclusive and (17) of Section 115 hereof, or persons who are recipients of public assistance, shall be investigated by the Director of Public Health or the San Francisco Fire Department for those who receive prehospital emergency medical services, who shall determine the financial ability of such persons to pay, in whole or in part, either directly or through relatives legally obligated to pay in whole or in part for the institutional or prehospital emergency medical service rendered.
The spouse and every relative who may be legally obligated to support an applicant or recipient of indigent aid shall furnish, within 10 days of request by the Director of Public Health and/or the San Francisco Fire Department on forms provided by the Department, information necessary to the determination of the liability of said spouse and relative, or either of them to support said applicant or recipient of aid.
Provided, however, that whenever any person admitted to the Hassler Hospital or Laguna Honda Hospital receives a total monthly income in an amount less than the actual cost of his care and from which income no personal allowance is made as a condition or term thereof, the Director of Public Health shall permit such person to retain from his said total income each month a reasonable amount to be used for his personal and incidental needs. If the source of monthly income is aid to needy disabled or old age aid or blind aid, as provided in the Welfare and Institutions Code, the amount to be retained for personal and incidental needs shall be the same as allowed by the regulations of the State of California Social Welfare Department for such personal and incidental needs.
Any person admitted to any institution who shall own a life insurance policy or policies having an actual cash surrender value of $500 or more may be required by said Director of Public Health to assign by proper written instruments said policy or policies to the City and County of San Francisco.
No provisions of this code shall constitute a waiver of the right of the City and County of San Francisco to recover the full cost of care from any person or persons able to pay therefor or from the estates of such person, where such ability is subsequently shown.
(Added by Ord. 75-66, App. 4/11/66; amended by Ord. 106-03, File No. 030624, App. 5/23/2003)
The Director of Public Health shall bill every person legally obligated to pay for institutional service rendered, and the San Francisco Fire Department shall bill every person legally obligated to pay for prehospital emergency medical services provided by Fire Department personnel, on the basis of the rates to be established as provided in Section 128 and 128.1 hereof, and to the extent of his ability to pay, in whole or in part, either directly or through relatives legally obligated to pay in whole or in part, as determined under Sections 116 to 122, inclusive, hereof.
Billing to patients at the Institutions may consist of a direct charge against the patient's Home Trust Fund Account or Patient's Account in the amount established by his ability to pay as provided in Section 119.
Such billing shall include costs and fees application under the provisions of Section 5201 of the Welfare and Institutions Code of the State of California relative to proceedings and medical examiners' fees for the mentally ill.
(Added by Ord. 75-66, App. 4/11/66; amended by Ord. 106-03, File No. 030624, App. 5/23/2003)
(a) The San Francisco Fire Department shall waive its fee for Emergency Medical Services if the patient and/or any other person legally obligated to pay provides the Department with reliable information that:
1. The patient and/or any other persons who are legally obligated to pay have insufficient annual income to pay the bill without undue hardship. The Fire Department shall define "insufficient income" but may not define it at a rate less than 300% of the Federal Poverty Level as set forth in the Federal Register; and
2. The patient is not covered by an insurance that would pay for the services and cannot obtain MediCal or MediCare.
(b) The Fire Department has the sole authority to determine whether the information provided supports a waiver of the fee.
(Added by Ord. 185-05, File No. 050993, App. 7/29/2005)
The care of all persons admitted to the several institutions enumerated herein under the provisions of Section 115(9) hereof, shall be billed under provisions of the Health and Safety Code of the State of California, Section 1475, unless a reciprocal agreement between the County of Residence and City and County of San Francisco is in existence pursuant to Section 1475 of the State Health and Safety Code.
(Added by Ord. 75-66, App. 4/11/66)
The care of all persons admitted to the several institutions enumerated herein under the provisions of Subsections (10) to (14), inclusive of Section 115, hereof, shall be billed to the City and County of San Francisco Employees' Retirement System.
(Added by Ord. 75-66, App. 4/11/66)
Every person who knowingly, fraudulently and designedly conceals or withholds any information concerning his financial condition or means or ability to pay or concerning other conditions, or who knowingly makes or causes to be made, either directly or indirectly or through any agency whatsoever, any false statement in writing, with intent that it shall be relied upon, respecting the financial condition or means or ability to pay of himself or any other person in whom he is interested, or for whom he is acting, for the purpose of gaining admission to and receiving care and treatment in the institutions, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than $500, or by imprisonment in the County Jail for not more than six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
Said person, in addition the penalties hereinabove set forth, shall be billed by the institution rendering said services for the full amount of the cost of such institutional care and treatment, thus fraudulently obtained, in accordance with the basic rates, legally established and determined therefor.
(Added by Ord. 75-66, App. 4/11/66)
Every person; except persons enumerated in Subsections (10) to (14) inclusive, and Section (17) of Section 115 hereof, and persons found to be exempt from liability for benefits under the provisions of Chapter 7 or Chapter 8, Part 3, Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code of the State of California, who is given or shall receive aid directly or indirectly from public monies drawn through the Treasury of the City and County of San Francisco, shall be liable to the extent of his ability to pay as determined by Section 119 hereof, for the value of said aid so allowed, granted, or given, and if any of said aid granted to said person is for injury sustained by reason of an accident or wrongful act, the value of aid shall, if said person or other persons entitled to bring such action asserts or maintains a claim against another for damages on account of his or her injury or because of his or her death, constitute a lien upon the damages recovered, or to be recovered, either by judgment, settlement or compromise by said person, or by his or her heirs or personal representative in case of his or her death, or other persons lawfully entitled to a cause of action because of his or her death.
(Amended by Ord. 304-80, App. 6/27/80; Ord. 355-90, App. 10/17/90)
The actual cost of the aid shall constitute its value. The rates established by the Board of Super-visors pursuant to Section 128 and 128.1 hereof for aid granted or given to persons at the institutions or by the San Francisco Fire Department shall constitute prima facie evidence of the reasonableness of said charge and the resulting amount which shall be due to the City and County of San Francisco.
(Added by Ord. 75-66, App. 4/11/66; amended by Ord. 106-03, File No. 030624, App. 5/23/2003)
As a consideration for the allowing, granting or giving of aid, the officer, board, or commission shall take from every person receiving aid except for persons enumerated in Subsections (10) to (14), inclusive, and (17) of Section 115, hereof the following agreement:
"AGREEMENT TO REIMBURSE
"In consideration of the granting of aid to me by the City and County of San Francisco, I hereby pledge, promise and agree to reimburse and repay said City and County all sums of money actually expended in my behalf or aid granted or given by the City and County of San Francisco for my care and maintenance, provided I am able to pay for the same in whole or in part, and I further agree that if any of said aid consists of care and treatment for injury sustained by me by reason of accident or wrongful act, the value of such aid shall be, if I assert or maintain a claim against another for damages on account of said injury, a lien upon any damages recovered, or to be recovered, either by judgment, settlement or compromise by myself, or by my heirs or personal representative in case of my death.
"I further agree that if and when I enter Laguna Honda Hospital or Hassler Hospital as a patient therein, I shall deposit in the Home Trust Fund an amount not less than the sum fixed for payment by toward cost of such institutional care as determined by my ability so to pay, and which sum I hereby expressly agree to pay; and I further agree that a direct charge against my Home Trust Fund account in that amount may be made by the said hospital at the completion of each month or portion of a month during the time I remain therein to discharge this obligation to pay, as aforesaid.
"For valuable consideration, I hereby assign to the San Francisco General Hospital the amount equal to the total cost of care rendered to me (or the total amount due to me if the amount thus due be less than the total amount of the cost of care rendered to me) from any monies due or to become due to me under my insurance policies, including any hospital benefits payable from the California State Disability Program or any private carrier in lieu thereof, and hereby authorize you to make such payment directly to said San Francisco General Hospital.
"This agreement is binding upon myself, my heirs, executors, administrators and assigns.
"The foregoing agreement is executed on the express condition, and with the understanding that it shall be binding on the applicant only in the event that he (or she) is found to be exempt from liability for such benefits under the provisions of Chapter 7 or Chapter 8, Part 3, Division 9, Welfare and Institutions Code of the State of California and that it shall be null and void if the applicant is found to be exempt from liability for such benefits.
Dated this ____________ day of 197____________
Witness ____________
Witness ____________
Signature of Applicant in full
____________"
The Controller of the City and County of San Francisco shall prescribe the procedure governing the evaluation of institutional care at the Laguna Honda Hospital, the auditing, accounting, reporting and collecting of all obligations arising under Sections 124 to 124.4, inclusive, hereof in accordance with the provisions of Section 64 and 75 of the Charter.
(Added by Ord. 75-66, App. 4/11/66)
Any lien created by the provisions of Section 124 of this Article upon damages recovered, or to be recovered by a recipient of aid, shall be referred to the Bureau of Delinquent Revenue for collection pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 10, Article V, of the San Francisco Code.
(Amended by Ord. 155- 68; App. 6/13/68; Ord. 386-89, App. 10/25/89)
Loading...