There are some very savvy folks here, so I'll just put this out. My mom is in hospice care right now and has medicaire and Oxford insurance. She recently went into a nursing home and we've applied for medicaid. To make things really clear, I don't think she'll make it to the end of the month. I just got a bill from a pharmeceutical fulfillment company for $1800. My first reaction is to wait, as I don't them to cut off her pain meds and we've got less than 30 days to go. I have never signed anything for her, checking her into the nursing home, etc. It was understood that her insurance and medicaid app (now underway) would cover. I do have Power of Attorney and there is no will but also no assets - hence the medicaid app. There's a long document about HIPAA but frankly, I have no time/energy to read this crap right now. I assume I'm not liable for her bills, but if anyone knows of any steps I should take now, please let me know. I now err on the side of being active instead of going "oh crap!" years later.
Hi Dan, First, welcome to the board. We're all very sorry to hear about your Mom. I basically had to go through the same thing with mine, and not very long ago. The nerves are still pretty raw. If your Mom's Medicaid application gets aproved, as it sounds like it will, it will be made retroactive. Once that happens just send the bill to medicaid and they should take care of it. Although I don't know much about Medicaid, this is how it worked for us. You should not be personally responsible. Keep up your spirits.
I'm NOT an expert in the field...BUT I assume that with NO ASSETS...NO ESTATE...they can't attach anything...AND THEY CAN'T COME AFTER YOU!!! If you get any bills...return them to the sender and tell them that they must submit these bills to XXXXX INSURANCE COMPANY and MEDICAID..."I AM NOT THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY"
Butch, thanks for the kind thoughts. Believe it or not, what's going on w/my mom is only one of several family crisises - rain, pours, etc. Obviously medicaid is the big fat umbrella, and of course we know they won't pay the entire $1800, which is another little rant of mine, but not for today. What about if the app does not go through. Again, I have not signed ONE paper for her. One other thought, which is quite relevant to (as I see it) the spirit of this board - I have learned SO much from my mom's mistakes that I promised my eldest that in a year, I would have everything covered so he would not have to deal w/all the crap my mom's left for me. My own story is about "putting my house in order", starting five years ago when I decided to stop underearning and get the IRS off my back after 10 years of harassment. Cleaning up my CR is just one of many steps.
You probably got the bill because you have the POA. I wouldn't worry about it right now. Wait and see what happens with medicaid. If you didn't sign, they can't do anything to you that can't be undone pretty quickly.
You won't be responsible. I just went through this with my aunt about a year ago. My father was supposed to be her executor, but he had passed away about a year before and she wasn't capable of changing her will. So I did it. She also had a will but no assets. She was on some sort of state assistance, I guess it was Medicaid or something similar. I had to put a notice in the paper (actually, the clerk of court did it and I paid). From her small amount of money, we had to pay, it this order-- Filing fees Advertisement for debts I think some sort of administrative fee, I don't remember what I got reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses Any secured creditors (there weren't any) Other creditors, including the state. The state claimed something like $33K. There were a few other things, like she had her hair done at the nursing home and that isn't covered by the state, the person who was handling her affairs filed for some expenses. Legally, each would get a share in relation to what their share is of the total. Or, I could have petitioned the judge to pay the other things before the state. In my case, I called the guy at the state office (on the advice of the Clerk of Court) and he agreed I could pay the others first. Then I sent him a check for what was left in the account. That was the end of it. It's sort of like a bankruptcy--if the estate doesn't have the money, the creditor has to write if off. So, the bottom line is, you have enough to worry about right now. Don't worry about the bills. They'll get taken care of later. And I'm sorry to hear of all your problems. I've been through similar things as well.
Re: Re: mom's medical bills If the Medicaid App is denied, like it was when my mom died, all you need do is to give them the address of the cemetery and have them send the bills "to her new location". I am sure your mom will take care of her bills the same way mine did when she died. Even stupid creditors figure it out.... eventually.
Re: Re: Re: mom's medical bills She'll be cremated and her wish is to have her ashes spread on Broadway - my mom loved the theatre. So I'll tell them to send the bills "anywhere on Broadway between 43rd and 46th streets!"
