Section 230.25. Financial investigation by supervisors.

  1.  Upon receipt from the county auditor of the list of names furnished pursuant to section 230.21, the board of supervisors shall make an investigation to determine the ability of each person whose name appears on the list, and also the ability of any person liable under section 230.15 for the support of that person, to pay the expenses of that person’s hospitalization. If the board finds that neither the hospitalized person nor any person legally liable for the person’s support is able to pay those expenses, they shall direct the county auditor not to index the names of any of those persons as would otherwise be required by section 230.26. However the board may review its finding with respect to any person at any subsequent time at which another list is furnished by the auditor upon which that person’s name appears. If the board finds upon review that that person or those legally liable for the person’s support are presently able to pay the expenses of that person’s hospitalization, that finding shall apply only to charges stated upon the certificate from which the list was drawn up and any subsequent charges similarly certified, unless and until the board again changes its finding.

  2.  All liens created under section 230.25, as that section appeared in the Code of 1975 and prior editions of the Code, are abolished effective January 1, 1977, except as otherwise provided by subsection 1. The board of supervisors of each county shall, as soon as practicable after July 1, 1976, review all liens resulting from the operation of said section 230.25, Code 1975, and make a determination as to the ability of the person against whom the lien exists to pay the charges represented by the lien, and if they find that the person is able to pay those charges they shall direct the county attorney of that county to take immediate action to enforce the lien. If action is commenced under this section on any lien prior to the effective date of the abolition thereof, that lien shall not be abolished but shall continue until the action is completed. The board of supervisors shall release any such lien when the charge on which the lien is based is fully paid or is compromised and settled by the board in such manner as its members deem to be in the best interest of the county, or when the estate affected by the lien has been probated and the proceeds allowable have been applied on the lien.

[C39, §3604.1; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §230.25]