A. The Board may formulate a program of environmental health services, laboratory services and preventive, curative and restorative medical care services, including home and clinic health services described in Titles V, XVIII and XIX of the United States Social Security Act and amendments thereto, to be provided by the Department on a regional, district or local basis.

B. The Board shall define the income limitations within which a person shall be deemed to be medically indigent. Persons so deemed to be medically indigent shall receive the medical care services of the Department without charge. The Board may also prescribe the charges to be paid for the medical care services of the Department by persons who are not deemed to be medically indigent and may, in its discretion and within the limitations of available funds, prescribe a scale of such charges based upon ability to pay. Funds received in payment of such charges are hereby appropriated to the Board for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this title.

C. When the Department provides medical care services to a person who has private health insurance that covers the services provided, the Board shall authorize the Department to charge an amount equal to the allowable charge of such insurer for the services provided. If the insurer denies a claim for medical care services provided to such person, the patient portion of the bill shall not be greater than if the person did not have private health insurance.

D. The Board shall review periodically the program and charges adopted pursuant to this section.

Code 1950, § 32-8.1; 1966, c. 529; 1970, c. 439; 1979, c. 711; 2008, cc. 42, 81.