Trying to keep the finances under control...

DC42 · Regular Joined: 06 Apr 2009 Posts: 11

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My question involves collection proceedings in the State of: New York

Hi all,

My wife has metastasized cancer. The insurance is under her own name (I have my own). The bills are piling up faster than the hospital can throw her into a MRI machine.

I plan on making an attempt to pay all bills received from her treatment. Two part question here:

- Will making small payments keep the wolves away (can't lose our house)? In other words $20 here $60 there...

- What I am legally liable for?

I pay my debts and planning on paying all parties what is owed. This may take a long time and am sure most involved will not be very patient. Insurance is covering quite a bit but the amounts are still astronomical.

Thanks in advance,

Dave

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 2404

Hi again Dave,

I don't know about NY laws, but if you contact the various medical facilities you owe, a payment plan usually can be worked out. Hospitals are pretty quick to throw you into collection, so the sooner you sit down with the billing department, the better. I have a friend that lost his wife and he didn't think he owed on her credit cards -- he didn't, but the estate did. They came after that. Anything of value that has her name on it they have a legal right to go after in IL. It's all about the estate.

Hopefully someone will jump in with more definitive information for you. We were so fortunate to have no bills as medicare and my husband's supplemental picked up all the costs after our annual deductible.

When you sit down with the finance/billing department, try negotiating down the bills too -- unless they've already been slashed to reflect the insurance company discount.

I'd suggest getting paperwork in order to protect your home. Transfer the title to yourself now, but I'd also recommend having a trust established where everything goes into it. That will avoid probate for yourself or your heirs, depending on the value of the property and probate laws for NY. I fell into that hole and it wasn't pretty. Hard things to think about when you're fighting to save your spouse and I blew it. Lost my shirt in the stock market because they weren't in my name to sell and by the time probate closed the market had tanked. (My husband thought he left me well off but we didn't foresee this little probate glitch.)

You have made out a healthcare power of attorney, haven't you? If not, you can download one from the internet and have her sign it with a witness. That gives her wishes and gives you control. Most hospitals push these things nowadays, so you've probably already encountered this.

Check online to see what medical liabilities you have in this case. There are attorneys who probably specialize in this area and you could get a free consultation.

DO contact the hospital. If the billing department doesn't want to work with you then there are social services usually based in the hospital for this type of thing too.

She's also eligible for Social Security disability with a later stage cancer. Takes time to start receiving payments, so the faster you make this move, the better.

Good luck!
PBJ
_________________
Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

DC42 · Regular Joined: 06 Apr 2009 Posts: 11

Excellent points and will certainly start the process regarding these issues.

Thanks,

DC

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