# Question RE American health system

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-re-american-health-system/643598>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 10, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-re-american-health-system/643598 "2012-12-10T15:05:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-re-american-health-system/643598/1 "2012-12-10T15:05:02Z")

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Rather a morbid question, but in the American hospital system if a patient dies in the hospital ER is it possible that anyone else would be liable for the bill? Either costs outright, or any excess over insurance.

I’m sort of interested in for instance if a husband takes his wife to the hospital for some acute problem, and she passes away in the ER. Presuming he filled out any admission papers for her, would he be directly liable for the bill? Or would it just fall on the estate?

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**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-re-american-health-system/643598/2 "2012-12-10T17:41:24Z")

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If the husband took her there, he likely signed papers making him responsible when she was admitted and being worked on. Of course there might well be insurance that covered the costs.

If she arrived in an ambulance without the husband, then I’m pretty sure the hospital wold ask him (or the insurance) to pay. Whether or not he’d be legally liable would depend on whether the particular state has a law making a spouse liable for debts. I believe some do and some don’t.

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**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-re-american-health-system/643598/3 "2012-12-10T18:39:53Z")

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Need answer fast?

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**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-re-american-health-system/643598/4 "2012-12-10T21:19:35Z")

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IANAL and have no experience with this type of problem, but I would imagine that any outstanding bill would go to the deceased’s estate. I don’t know exactly how it works when your spouse dies, but I can’t see why this would be handled differently than any other debt.

I know that people sometimes get harassing calls from collection agencies trying to collect from the children or siblings of the deceased. While they’re under no legal obligation to pay, many are pressured into it when the agency continuously portrays them as deadbeats for not taking care of their relative’s bills.

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**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-re-american-health-system/643598/5 "2012-12-10T23:20:24Z")

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> [@Duckster](#):
>
> Need answer fast?

Luckily no 😃 (Had a bout of insomnia last night and was up watching a movie that spurred the question.)