Arkansas Department of Human Services v. Ahlborn
| Ark. Dep't of Human Servs. v. Ahlborn | |
|---|---|
| Argued February 27, 2006 Decided May 1, 2006 | |
| Full case name | Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services, et al. v. Heidi Ahlborn |
| Docket no. | 04-1506 |
| Citations | 547 U.S. 268 (more) 126 S. Ct. 1752; 164 L. Ed. 2d 459; 2006 U.S. LEXIS 3455; 74 U.S.L.W. 4214 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Summary judgment granted to defendants, 280 F. Supp. 2d 881 (E.D. Ark. 2003), reversed, 397 F.3d 620 (8th Cir. 2005); cert. granted, 126 S. Ct. 35 (2005) |
| Holding | |
| Under federal Medicaid law, a state cannot assert a lien on a benefit recipient's litigation settlement beyond the amount attributable to payment for past medical expenses. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed. | |
| Court membership | |
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| Case opinion | |
| Majority | Stevens, joined by unanimous |
| Laws applied | |
| 42 U.S.C. § 1396 (Title XIX of the Social Security Act) | |
Arkansas Department of Human Services v. Ahlborn, 547 U.S. 268 (2006), was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States involving the ability of a state agency to claim a personal injury settlement as compensation for Medicaid benefits provided for treatment of the injuries. The Court ruled unanimously that a federal statutory prohibition against liens on personal property to recover Medicaid expenditures applied to settlements, so that only the portion of the settlement that represented payment for past medical expenses could be claimed by the state.