If a patient is covered by an insurance policy or other contract that provides for payment of expenses for care and treatment for mental illness at or from a hospital under the jurisdiction of the department of mental health and addiction services, sections 5121.33 to 5121.55 of the Revised Code are inapplicable to the extent that the policy or contract is in force. Any insurance carrier or other third party payor providing coverage for such care and treatment shall pay for the patient's support obligation in amounts equal to the lesser of amounts charged by the department under section 5121.33 of the Revised Code or the benefits provided under the policy or other contract. Whether or not an insured, owner of, or other person having an interest in such policy or other contract is liable for support payments, the insured, policy owner, or other person shall assign payment directly to the department of all assignable benefits under the policy or other contract and shall pay to the department, within ten days of receipt, all insurance or other benefits received as reimbursement or payment for expenses incurred by the patient or for any other reason. If the insured, policy owner, or other person refuses to assign payment to the department or refuses to pay received reimbursements or payments to the department within ten days of receipt, the total liability of the insured, policy owner, or other person for the services is an amount equal to the per diem charge for the hospital where the patient was admitted multiplied by the number of days the patient was admitted.

In no event shall this total liability exceed the department's actual cost of providing care and treatment to a patient. The department may disqualify patients and liable relatives who have retained third party funds from future discounts. The department may request that the attorney general petition a court of competent jurisdiction to compel the insured, owner of, or other person having an interest in the policy or contract to comply with the assignment requirements in this section.

Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.

Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .