Unfortuantely, yes.
No - the surviving spouse is not liable for the deceased person's bills !
No, Kentucky is not a community property state.
Unless the survivor(s) signed some type of contract or agreement to be responsible for the deceased's medical bills, it is the deceased's ESTATE which is liable for the expense - NOT the survivors.HOWEVER: In reality, if the surviving spouse also happens to be the Executor of their deceased spouse's estate, they WILL, have to pay for whatever medical bills may be outstanding from the proceeds of the estate that they are administering.
As in all states, Kansas requires the estate to be responsible for all the debts of the deceased. That means before the estate can be settled, all debts have to be cleared. If there is not enough in the estate to cover them, there are some people who will not get paid.
Typically, the surviving spouse who is living in the home under a probate homestead must maintain the home and pay interest on any mortgage debt. The heirs are liable for reductions in principal. The surviving spouse is not required to insure the home, but if she does, she is entitled to the proceeds for any claim.
If the couple resided in a community property state it is possible for the surviving spouse to be responsible for debt incurred by a deceased spouse even though he or she was not an account holder. Texas and Wisconsin are not considered "true" CP states as they treat solely incurred marital debt somewhat differently as do the other CP states.
Texas is a community property state therefore a surviving spouse usually can be held liable for debts solely incurred by the deceased spouse. Exceptions can be made to this law based upon the circumstances of individual cases
In Florida the estate of the deceased is going to be responsible for the debts. Indirectly, the spouse is going to pay the debts, either by a smaller inheritance or as a beneficiary of the goods and services purchased by the spouse.
The estate is liable for the obligations of the deceased. They would have to settle the debts.
It depends on what the lawsuit is about but most likely no.
Unless the survivors signed some type of contract or agreement to be responsible for the deceased's medical bills, it is the deceased's ESTATE which is liable for the expense. The medical suppliers should first file a claim against the insuror and THEN proceed against the deceased's estate for any unpaid remainder - NOT the survivors.
If the spouse has a Will stating "all of my debts are to be paid." Yes. If not, you just need to send a copy of the Death Certificate to each creditor.