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sooz55 Asked April 2015

Do I have to pay Mom's medical bills she incurred almost 2 yrs ago?

She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's & under my care. Mom passed last Sunday. I'm her only daughter and cared for mom at home throughout the corse of this disease. This situation happened almost 2 yrs ago. First off, she was whisked away in an ambulance, fully conscious and no visible signs of trauma. She had a meningioma, a small "mass" in her brain that caused her to lose consciousness for a minute or two from time to time. She was at a Sr Center however and someone called 911. They did not have my permission (I have both full Power of Attorney for Finances) and when I got to the Emergency Ward, mom was sitting up, apparently just fine and the admitting nurse was wondering why mother was there. I wanted to take her home right then but the nurse got word they wanted to keep her for "observation". I was reluctant to take on the responsibility of taking her home against doctor's orders (I should have done so, my instincts were telling me to take her and she very much wanted to come home). I came back late in the afternoon after calling her doctor who confirmed they wanted to keep her overnight (now, it was overnight which I have since learned Medicare will only pay if the person requires an overnight stay). There was nothing wrong with her, she wanted to come home so badly. I finally left after explaining to her they wanted to keep her to make sure she was ok. They had to tie her to the bed after giving her so many tranquilizers and such, it only infuriated her and they tied her down, to the bed. I wish I would have taken her home. We incurred something like $20,000 in bills for this plus a $5,000 ambulance bill. I was floored. Medicare paid whatever it was they would pay but the hospital and ambulance are now billing us for the "balance" of the bill which is almost $2,000 from the hospital, $500 from her doctor and over $1,000 for the ambulance. Mom passed away this last Sunday - do I have to pay these outrageous bills? What are your thoughts on this outrageous act of greed and conniving?

sooz55 Apr 2015
They tied her to the bed because she kept getting up wanting to go home. "No wonder they kept her for observation" shows callous, and as far as I'm concerned, tying her to the bed was just about as callous as the above statement.

brandywine1949 Apr 2015
If you signed for her bills, then maybe. But if these are her bills then no. Medicare does not pay everything. It is most advisable to have a supplemental insurance policy. Its 80% medicare, 20% supplement. But that is too late for you and your mother. Just a heads up for others. I am sorry for your loss.

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rovana Apr 2015
You were careful not to sign anything weren't you? You should not sign anything...be very careful that you "don't take responsibility" for her bill. Then you are OK. The creditors would need to talk to the executor of her estate. Since she is dead, any POA you might have died with her. Igloo and Pamstegman are real good on these kind of things.

Eyerishlass Apr 2015
No, you are not responsible for her medical bills (or any other of her bills for that matter). Inform her creditors that she has passed away. They will try to collect money from her estate if there was one and they will also probably want a copy of the death certificate.

I'm sorry for your loss.

freqflyer Apr 2015
So sorry to read that your Mom had passed away. No, you are not responsible for any bills that she had. Payment would come out of her estate, if any.

Lot of things are confusing about what happened from the senior center to being in ER and the hospital. The senior center did the right thing by calling 911. Unless the senior center staffed with doctors or nurses, they would have no idea what was happening to your mother. Better to error on the side of safety.

As for being in the ER, why on earth was your mother "tied down"? That doesn't happen unless there was a serious medical issue. No wonder the hospital kept her for observation.

Please check your hospital bill to see if any head scans, x-rays, EKG, EEG, or similar had been taken, as that would raise the cost.

As for the ambulance cost, Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers emergency ground ambulance transportation when you need to be transported to a hospital.

sooz55 Apr 2015
Sorry, I had POA for Finances and Health.

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