Do wives have to pay husband medical bills?

Most likely, yes. If you are having trouble figuring out what to pay, you may want to talk with the financial person at the clinic or hospital. Good luck,
Carol

When my mom received a bill for a hospital stay of my dad's, after he died, I called the hospital to see if she could set up monthly payments, because she was living on social security. The man that I talked with asked my if my mom and dad had set up a trust. I told him they did and he told me that my mom would not have to pay the hospital bill and we never saw another bill. Never was sure why but I didn't question the guy. This happened in December and that was the best Christmas gift that she could ever get! If you have a "trust", call your lawyer.

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Yes you BOTH are on SS Benifits.

If you have a complicated case, besides contacting the financial person at the medical setting, try contacting your local Council on Aging and talking to a HICAP volunteer or employee. They may set a free appointment for you to get all your questions answered. They may also refer you to an Elder Attorney who works pro bono. If your assets are all jointly owned, I agree with the expert. However, if they have always been separate, you may not always be required to pay all his bills.

There is far more to it than a simple yes/no.
It also involves what your incomes are, what you own in assets, etc.

Both my Mom & stepdad were on SSI.
But they were destitute [no assets]
They got help making the monthly payments for Medicare and their supplemental/advantage plans, but, there were no "leftovers" to be paid out of pocket. [This is administered via the Welfare Department]

We had a few bill collectors contact us after he died; I was instructed to respond "This person died intestate and destitute. Please stop harassing the family" .
THAT might not fit your circumstances.
It sounds like you need specific advice based on your family's personal circumstances, in your area.
We also contacted the various Providers to notify each of the mans death, and, that he had died without assets.

HOWever, some States have different laws, governing what other family members might be required to pay [or not pay].
In States that might require extended family to pay off the debts, it is still possible to contest that, based on penury, or, extreme hardships to the family if forced to pay those bills.

You can start with a Social Worker, and/or an Elder Law attorney.
Social workers do not cost you.
The Elder Law attorney might--
OR--if you contact your local chapter of "Area Agency on Aging", they usually schedule free legal help and make appointments for that, for things like this.

Everyone has medical bills.
You are Both on Social Security Income.
And Both Married.

If your husband is not dead and just piling on medical bills, File bankruptcy.

Do you own any property jointly, joint banking savings/checking account, have credit cards or other credit accounts jointly. and file joint tax returns? If your answer is yes, then yes, they will come after any assets to recover the debt. Bankruptcy may be an option.
Upsidedown