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Are the children responsible for outstanding medical bills? Can Medicare, BCBShield, or hospitals come after any of her assets?

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No, absolutely not.
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The only bills you are responsible for are those with your name on them, those you signed for
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No, you are not responsible.

Medicare does not bill and either do suppliment insurances like BCBS. They are billed by the provider. With Medicare they pay 80% of what they feel is reasonable. The 20% is sent to the supplimental and they pay their share sometimes leaving a balance which is what the insured will be billed for by the provider. EX: the provider bills Medicare 1000 for the service they provided. Medicare says 800 is a reasonable amount and pays 80% of that $640. Leaving a balance of $160. The provider then sends that info to the supplimental who pays their share (lets say) $100 leaving a balance of $60 the insured needs to pay the provider. This "balance" can be caused because deductables haven't been met or there are copays. With my husband's BC/BS its because we "share" by paying half of the balance.

Medicare and Blue Cross both send out "statements" of how a provider has been paid. These are not invoices or bills. The important statement is Blue Cross's. This will show what Medicare paid and what BC paid. The balance is what is owed the provider and you wait for them to bill u. A provider who excepts Medicare has to except the "reasonable" amount that Medicare pays on. They cannot bill for the difference between their original billing and what Medicare considers reasonable.

If Mom has assets, why wouldn't she pay her health bills? If she has passed, then those bills are debts that need to be paid before beneficiaries get their share. So in that circumstance, yes children are responsible to see that creditors are paid before they receive any money from Moms estate. If Mom has no money, then you prove that and are not responsible for her debts.
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Nope. And thank goodness for that!
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