California County Held to Pay for Plan Members’ Emergency Care

California hospitals can seek reimbursement from public entities for emergency medical care provided to their health plan members after the state’s top court held that a government immunity law doesn’t bar the action.

Public entities aren’t liable in lawsuits for damages except when provided for by statute, but allowing counties to avoid reimbursing medical providers would mean that providers would have greater remedies against private health-care plans than against a public entity health-care plan, the California Supreme Court said Monday.

California’s Knox-Keene Act sets out a comprehensive regulatory scheme for health-care service plans. It applies to all private and public ...