Are You On The Hook For Footing Your Loved One's Nursing Home Bill?
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A recent article in Forbes, Howard Glickman, discusses a decision from Pennsylvania where the court determined the son of a nursing home resident was responsible for the $93,000.00 nursing home bill. How can this be you ask? According to Mr. Glickman, Pennsylvania, along with some 29 other states have what are known as "filial responsibility statutes—laws that impose a duty on adult children to care for their indigent parents." Approximately two-thirds of the states having such laws "allow long-term care providers to sue family members to recover unpaid costs."
In Idaho,up until July 1, 2011, there was a law governing "reciprocal duties of support." This law stated it was the duty of a "child or children of any poor person who is unable to maintain himself or herself by work, to maintain such poor person to the extent of his or her ability." This law, however, was repealed. Does that mean a nursing home will not do all it can to recover its bill? Of course not.
Oftentimes, in the flurry of paperwork signed upon admission of a loved-one to a nursing home, the facility will have a financial responsibility document executed by a loved one. This is just one more reason documents provided by a nursing home or assisted living facility must be carefully reviewed prior to signing. You could be putting yourself and your assets on the hook for your parent's nursing home bill.
