Do I need to pay this?

[explorer2001]

Ask an estate attorney.

[polarbearfans]

I would consult a lawyer. My dads life insurance paid for 3 sessions with a lawyer as part of a benefit. I didn't pay any bills because I was his largest creditor since I paid for his funeral and that exhausted his estate.

[starryfish]

Feb 11, 2016 14:04:57 GMT -5 fn2187 said:

Feb 11, 2016 13:35:34 GMT -5 explorer2001 said:

Ask an estate attorney.

This may sound crazy, but I think I'd rather just pay it then.  I emailed our estate lawyer and he got into this whole "minimum retainer" crap that seems insanely costly to answer one question.  It's not worth signing contracts and setting up meetings, etc when in the end I might just have to pay it anyway.

Which leads me to my next question.  Can I negotiate at all with creditors?  I've never been in a situation to deal with creditors before and am clueless.

Yes you can negotiate. Tell them the situation (parent died) and ask to pay 50%

[starryfish]

Feb 11, 2016 14:15:04 GMT -5 fn2187 said:

Feb 11, 2016 14:07:40 GMT -5 starryfish said:

Yes you can negotiate. Tell them the situation (parent died) and ask to pay 50%

Ohh....this is fantastic.  Thank you.  It's a frustrating situation because before she passed away, the hospital was in the middle of applying for state insurance to cover everything.  But she passed before that could be finalized, and it became a huge mess.

Some creditors allow for negotiation more than others. If you offer to settle it right now, its better

[starryfish]

Feb 11, 2016 14:16:06 GMT -5 fn2187 said:

Feb 11, 2016 14:07:40 GMT -5 starryfish said:

Yes you can negotiate. Tell them the situation (parent died) and ask to pay 50%

Silly question, but can I trust creditors?  So if we negotiate to 50%, and I pay them via phone, is there a chance they will continue to send me more bills and not settle?

Need to get it in writing from them. That if you pay 50% or 75%, etc that the debt will be considered paid and closed

[snowflurry]

When my mother passed, there were several medical bills. I was able to call and have them all forgiven. I did this shortly after her death before they went to collections so not sure if that makes a difference.

[cajunmom]

Feb 11, 2016 14:16:06 GMT -5 fn2187 said:

Feb 11, 2016 14:07:40 GMT -5 starryfish said:

Yes you can negotiate. Tell them the situation (parent died) and ask to pay 50%

Silly question, but can I trust creditors?  So if we negotiate to 50%, and I pay them via phone, is there a chance they will continue to send me more bills and not settle?

If they agree to the reduced amount ask that a new bill be sent to you indicating that new amount, and then pay it. Don't pay it before you have the amount in writing.

[starryfish]

Feb 11, 2016 15:49:24 GMT -5 fn2187 said:

Feb 11, 2016 14:51:00 GMT -5 snowflurry said:

When my mother passed, there were several medical bills. I was able to call and have them all forgiven. I did this shortly after her death before they went to collections so not sure if that makes a difference.

It's Kaiser.  I called and let them know she passed away, and asked if they could negotiate a bit.  They gave a firm NO and made it clear they would send to collections.  And they did.  It's been a long time now, but the collections bill finally came.

Most collections companies would rather get some $ rather than none. It is not like you are worried about credit report rating, so you have more power here than most people usually do

sorry you are dealing with this

[polarbearfans]

Look into your states death and estate laws. You may not have to pay all that you are thinking. Have you settled the estate yet? My dads estate was small enough I did it myself (well my husband did it), and there is an order of how creditors get paid. You don't want to just start paying stuff because another creditor may be entitled to be paid before that other creditor.

[awkwardpenguin]

So in general I'm going to say don't trust legal advice obtained on the Internet, including mine, but what you've been told upthread is just wrong. Definitely do not pay or settle the bill.

You have no responsibility for your mom's debt. If her entire estate was settled outside of probate, there's nothing for the creditors to collect against and they are out of luck. If you did have to open probate on her estate, then the creditor could make a claim against the estate.

www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0081-debts-and-deceased-relatives

[tres3]

if there is no probate I'm not sure the creditors can get the assets. I would send a copy of the death certificate and see what they do. (not legal advice)

[AAM2012]

Yeah I am not sure I would be paying this if it's not in your name.