Four kinds of lien, four different rules
A hospital's claim comes from a statute, Ala. Code 35-11-370, and is subject to your lawyer's own lien under Ala. Code 34-3-61. Alabama Medicaid is subrogated by Ala. Code 22-6-6. Medicare recovers under the federal Medicare Secondary Payer statute, and a private health plan's claim depends on its contract and on equitable doctrines.
Learn how Medicare and Medicaid recover from an Alabama settlement, when the made-whole doctrine means you owe nothing yet, and how a health insurer's claim differs from a hospital lien.