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Show County Turns Indigent Sendees Bmk T State By MARK D. MICKELSEN FARMINGTON Davis County officials voted Tuesday to get out of the indigent care business and agreed to pay the State Department of Health on'1-quarter on'1-quarter mill, or $190,000 per year, to coordinate the service. A PROVISION allowing county commissioners to review the contract each year has been included in the agreement. Commissioner Harry Gerlach said if the state votes to increase the per year fee, the county coun-ty may be forced to again take over indigent care. A deciding factor in the county's plan to "bow i' out" of the indigent program came when insurance companies contacted to cover the service showed little interest in involvement. REPRESENTATIVES from United Way submitted submit-ted a proposal to the county to take over indigent services for $120,000 per year, but were forced to rescind their offer when they, too, could not get insurance coverage. "It's unfortunate that the indigent program was not followed through," a representative of the Davis North Medical Center told commissioners. Comptroller Com-ptroller Floyd Morgan chastised the county for adopting a program he said, "never really got off the ground." COM. GERLACH said a representative on the county indigent board told the commission "it would not be possible" for the county to take care of the program indefinitely on an independent basis. Mr. Morgan complained that the county created a program, less than a year ago, which has never functioned func-tioned "properly." "THERE ARE some significant liabilities which have not been paid," he told the commission. At the Davis North Medical Center alone, Morgan said the county owes $30,000 in "outstanding liabilities" liabili-ties" for indigent care service. |