HOSPITAL FEES

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 52, 25 November 1930, Page 10

HOSPITAL FEES

Non-paying Patients BOARDS’ LOSSES Right of Lien Desired Declaring that despite the co-operation of solicitors in effecting settlement of hospital accounts, considerable losses are incurred by boards, the New Zealand Hospital Boards’ Association, in a statement issued yesterday, stresses the necessity for some further protection such as that mentioned by Mr. Justice Reed, in the Supreme Court last week, or such as could be provided by legislation. “Returns from a number of hospital boards’ reveal considerable losses on account of hospital fees for accident cases, including unfortunately fees incurred by persons without dependants, able but unwilling to pay,” states the association. “The unpaid hospital accounts for the past year of persons without dependants who were well able but unwilling to meet their obligations out of insurance moneys received vary in amount from £2OO in the case of the smaller hospitals to over £lOOO in the cafte of the larger hospitals. “The hospital boards have no power to enforce the payment of hospital fees out of insurance moneys, and are usually solely dependent upon the kind offices of solicitors handling insurance moneys. Representations hav.e been made to the Government with a view to affording hospital boards a right of lien against insurance moneys payable to persons without dependants who are able but unwilling to pay their hospital accounts. There is, of course, no desire for any legal remedy respecting those cases where enforcement to pay hospital fees would inflict hardship. Companies in Sympathy. “The insurance companies would, it is learned, be in sympathy with such a provision in the Motor Vehicles (Third Party Risks) Act, or the Workers’ Compensation Aet, but as the law stands at present they must, for their own protection, pay direct to the injured claimant. The representations of the hospital boards have not been taken up by the Government except as was provided under the Workers’ Compensation Amendment Act (dropped at the end of last session), whereby the medical allowance under th** Act was to be increased from £1 to £2o, out of which hospital fees at the rate of £3 per week -were to be paid direct to the hospital concerned. Some Illustrations. “As an indication of the class of cases which, unfortunately, are frequently met with by hospital boards, the following may be noted: — “A single man without dependants was maintained in hospital for over one year, and had been in receipt of £l/15/6 a week from an insurance company during that time, yet refused to pay any portion of his hospital account. In addition to treatment in the ordinary way, the hospital board had paid his fare and the expenses of a nurse to a base hospital on several occasions, that he might undergo special treatment there, and also provided special appliances. The matter was placed in the hands of the hospital board’s solicitor to see if something could be done to compel this man to pay at least a portion of his hospital account. The case was heard in the Magistrate’s Court, and although the magistrate censured the man very strongly for his attitude to the board in regard to the moneys paid to him by the insurance company, no order was made. “Another case is of a single young man who owed a hospital, account of £5O 14/-, and received compensation of £125, but would pay nothing. In another case a young single man owed £l5O. If he would’ arrange to pay a portion of this account it would give satisfaction to the hospital board, but he has evaded all responsibility of his debt. Other similar cases are on record.