Court asked to review assistance claim

SANDPOINT — A Sagle man is asking a judge to sort out whether he should be made to pay a $22,137 medical bill even though a hospital had agreed to write off the charges.

David J. Ross was treated at Bonner General Hospital in April for congestive heart failure. Although Ross owns a home, it’s below the value of an Idaho homestead exemption.

Ross lives on a fixed income with a caretaker, lacks health insurance and has insufficient disposable monthly income to pay off the bill within five years, according to county records.

Ross applied for county medical assistance and county commissioners found that he qualified for such assistance and approved payment to BGH for the charges he incurred. Commissioners also set up a payment plan.

Ross, however, appealed on grounds that he was unable to pay even a portion of the loan. He also pointed out that the hospital had agreed to write off the costs he incurred through its BGH Cares program.

The sole issue presented during the appeal was whether, as a matter of law, Bonner General’s uncompensated care write-off program is an available resource that could be used to pay for necessary medical services.

The board concluded that uncompensated care write-offs are not considered a resource under the Idaho medical indigency statutes. Moreover, case law holds that a hospital’s federally enacted uncompensated services obligation is not a resource.

“Therefore, an uncompensated care write off through the BGH Cares Program is not a resource available to Ross to pay for necessary medical services,” the board said in an Aug. 24 order outlining findings of fact and conclusions of law.

Ross filed a petition for judicial review in 1st District Court on Oct. 1.

The petition questions whether the board’s action was excessive and unreasonable under state law.