Every individual, partnership, firm, association, corporation, institution and governmental
unit, and every combination of any of the foregoing, operating a hospital in the county,
or any governmental agency paying for hospital charges or medical treatment of individuals
in the county, shall be entitled to a lien for all reasonable charges for such hospital
care, treatment and maintenance of all ill or injured persons upon any and all causes
of action, suits, claims, counterclaims and demands accruing to the persons to whom
such care, treatment or maintenance or furnished, or accruing to the legal representatives
of such persons, and upon all judgments, settlements and settlement agreements rendered
or entered into by virtue thereof, on account of illness or injuries giving rise to
such causes of action, suits, claims, counterclaims, demands, judgments, settlement
or settlement agreement and which necessitated or shall have necessitated such hospital
care, treatment, and maintenance. The above-mentioned lien shall be limited to the
lesser of the following: reasonable charges for care and treatment or the net amount
of settlement or judgment after deducting costs of procuring the settlement or judgment.
