My nieces attorney, in Illinois, told her that since her mom was on Medicare and died while in the hospital followimng surgery, those bills did not have to be paid. Not the doctor or hospital. It has almost been a year and she has not paid anything or received any bills. That was the first time I had heard anything like that, but it is something to look into if on Medicare.

No...the insurance money is yours...has nothing to do with the estate.

This is only if there is a spouse....the bills would be paid from the spouse or if the insurance was to go to the estate.

generally=that is what the insurance money is for-to wrap up any loose ends-and pay off what ever needs to be paid-not leaving the burdon on a loved one-that is why we get life insurance-so our children will not be left with all of our bills...and to take care of final expenses which can be thousands of dollars.

No my mom didn't have any kind of will or lawyer. She didn't have any kind of money or estate. She lived with my sister (or I should say my sister and her family has lived with her all her life and took care of my mom. Not the my mom needed help of any kind.) My mom hadn't worked in over 15 years. And she collected my dads ss. She didn't work and the only thing that my mom had was the trailer that they live in. Which is nothing fancy and needs some work. Someone told my sister that as long as we didn't want their home she was to transfer the title to her name. Like I said she only has a life insurance and just within the last couple years got that. So I am wondering if the bills need to be paid or will they be wrote off?

The bills will be written off...NO..you do not owe anyone...!!! the insurance money is yours...not the estates.

Are you the only benefiiary of the policy? Unless your name is on the credit cards/debts, you are not personally responsible, only the estate is. If there is not enough money in the estate to pay bills, then the estate is considered insolvent. Don't let anyone tell you differently. Creditors may try and tell that you are so they can get paid. If the parent has a house in his/her name, that is part of the estate.

Whatever your mom owned when she passed is her Estate. You need to find out who the beneficiary of the Life Ins. is. by calling the Life Ins. Company. Did mom take out the life ins. to pay for her funeral & bills owed or was someone else the beneficiary? I agree, that I don't think there will be hospital bills to be paid if she was on Medicare. I had power of attorney for my brother in law & when he passed after brain surgery, I never got a hospital bill.

I think it depends on the state, but the bills are usually paid out of the assets of the person...if there are no assets, then there is nothing to pay the bills from. The life insurance beneficiary owns that money...it doesn't belong to the estate.

my sister is yhe only one on the policy. She had not credit cards or any other thing than just the trailer that they live in. That is the only thing that was in her name.