In Tennessee the debts of the deceased, including hospital bills, are the responsibility of the estate. The estate, or its beneficiary should reimburse any valid debtors before giving any of the assets away. If the estate has been closed, there should be no further claims. Consult a probate attorney in your jurisdiction for help.
yes
No, they are not
my mother in law died last year and her husband was responsible for her medical bills. Over $200,000.
Her estate has to pay the bills. And since he will be inheriting the estate, he will be paying the bills either directly or indirectly.
The laws may vary from state to state but typically anyone over the age of 18 is responsible for their own bills and the parents are not. An unpaid medical bill is no different from any other unpaid bill. When the bills of your deceased adult child begin to show up, normally you can write "Deceased" on the envelope and mail it back to the company. Check with a lawyer in your state to be sure.
In every state, the estate is responsible for the debts of the deceased. Only after they are resolved can the estate be closed any remainder distributed.
YES, if you die, then the next of kin is responsible for your debt.
Oregon is not a community property state. Therefore the surviving spouse is only responsible for the deceased spouse's medical bills if he or she entered into a financial agreement with the attending hospital and/or physicians or other such agencies.
Florida requires that debt be resolved before an estate is settled. That means the bills have to be paid before anything can be distributed.
No, you are not responsible for the bills. His estate is responsible, whether there are assets or not. If there are no assets, they creditors do not get paid.
Yes. The primary way people avoid responsibility for unexpectedly large medical bills is to file for (declare) bankruptcy. Texas, having one of the largest uninsured populations of any state in the union, is no exception. The medical bills for people who do this are then passed on to local taxpayers.
If the deceased left an estate the medical bills along with all other debts will be handled according to the state probate laws. If the deceased left no assets that can be used to pay debts, the debts become null and void. Surviving family members are not responsible for medical bills unless they signed an agreement with the hospital, physician(s) or care facility. The one exception is if the deceased left a spouse and the married couple resided in a community property state. Although in several CP states such laws will not apply to the payment medical bills directly connected to the death of of a spouse.