Lawrence County v. Decatur General Hospital

This health-care case involves the issue whether, under the Alabama Health Care Responsibility Act (“AHCRA”), § 22-21-290 et seq., Ala.Code 1975, Lawrence County (“the County”) must pay Decatur General Hospital for the medical maternity care that it provided to 47 patients who are residents of Lawrence County.

AHCRA became effective in 1979.1 The legislative intent behind AHCRA is set forth in § 22-21-291:

“It is the intent of the legislature to place the ultimate financial obligation for the medical treatment of indigents on the county in which the indigent resides, for all those costs not…