Mobile Infirmary Medical Center, the University of South Alabama Medical Center and AltaPointe Health System have been in talks with the county to distribute the funds, which were derived from oil and gas taxes.
County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood said the matter has been complicated since the county legislature first created its indigent board in 1982. The indigent board decides how the funds are allocated to the hospitals for their indigent care, but no funds have been distributed since 2007, when disputes over the payouts first started, according to the report. “At the time the legislation was enacted, there was only one provider of indigent care: [University of South Alabama],” Ms. Ludgood said in the report. “Because there is more than one provider now, how to apply the provision is part of what creates the difficulties.”
It is expected the state Supreme Court will review the case again. In December, the Alabama Supreme Court dismissed the case because it said it has no jurisdiction.
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