Nursing home bill. Anyone have experience with this?

Once you talk to the Finance office please also talk to his insurance company. Rehab kept insisting that insurance wouldn't pay for my father's stay. Insurance kept telling me they would IF the rehab would send in the bill properly. I must have gone over this 5 times with the rehab and they just kept hoping that we would pay it.

Get the advice of an attorney to confirm this, but if G'ma has no money and she pays even one dime toward it, I believe it renews the statute of limitations on the debt. I think the debt's good for three years, and after that they can't collect, but if she sends them even $5, the clock starts on that three years all over again.

I worked Accts Receivable and Collections for private companies. Unless the amount owed is really worth it, they never go to court. It costs them to go to court because they need a lawyer and court costs. This has been almost 40 years ago but I had a client that paid $5 a month to his outstanding balance. My boss said it was not worth going to court because he was making a payment "in good faith". The judge would just say he was giving what he could afford.

So, if Mom does owe an amount she can't afford to pay, maybe a payment plan could be worked out with her paying so much a month. But she can't default on that agreed amount. Make sure you have that in writing. Always, always cover your tail. Because employees quit and others take their place.

Yes, talk to the finance office first. So you have a little background knowledge before you call...

Dad was sent to Rehab. Medicare pays only 20 days 100%. The 21st to the 100th day is only 50%. The other 50% needs to be paid by Grandpa either by him or his supplemental insurance which may pay all or partial. 100 days is not guaranteed, Medicare can have the patient discharged if they have hit a plateau or fail to progress. Not unusual to have someone go the 100 days and then enter Long-term care that Medicare does not pay for. Where I live this is an easy transition because Rehab and LTC are in the same building.

So if Grandpa was kept in the same facility, you need to know what the bill covers. Is there a balance left from Rehab? If so was the supplemental billed? If they were and didn't pay then that balance is due.

His stay in LTC, was a Medicaid application started? Even with Medicaid pending, he will be billed monthly until Medicaid is approved to offset the cost. Then adjustments to the acct will be made. Dad left so the application probably would not have been completed. Dad and Mom would have needed to supply info needed to complete the application. Mom would have need to prove Community Spouse so she would get enough of their monthly income to live on. I would say whatever time Dad was in the NH, he owes. Same with the 50% from Rehab.

If Dad had the habit of ripping up mail, he may have ripped up the Medicare and supplemental statements showing what was paid and balances owed. I would make an appt to sit down with the NH finance office. First thing I would do is see if Mom signed any paperwork saying that SHE was responsible for Dads bills. If she did, the money is owed. If she signed her name and then POA, IMO she cannot be held responsible for Dads bills. I would take a original copy of Dads death certificate. I would get copies of all the info they have. Like a statement showing what was billed, what Medicare paid and suppliment. If when you present the death certificate they say Mom still owes the bill, then I would consult with a lawyer and have those papers in hand for him to see. I would also ask the NH to hold off sending anything to collections until u have a chance to sort things out.

At this point it seems a lawyer nor a collection agency are involved. The problem with a collection agency is all they have is a total amt due. They don't have backup. You still have to go back to the provider for back up. So thats why I say start with the NH.

Go to an elder law attorney. Going to collections means nothing if there are no funds, and collections cannot attach social security and pensions. It's important to know assets now and what they can collect if this is enough for a court settlement. The question here is whether or not your grandmother is capable of handling finances at this time? Is she?
Basically, let it go to collections. The collectors expect to collect AT BEST pennies on the dollar and often a settlement can be reached if needed BUT it is important that NOTHING be paid on this, as that sets the clock back to day one and assumes responsibility for a bill. Any bills paid in a settlement need to be specifically worded as payment in full and etc. See an attorney; this is important if these funds are in any amount.
Also know that if collections goes to court they must have for you an ITEMIZED BILL and they never do. When people actually hire an attorney to go to court in these things they almost always win, but then of course they are paying an attorney.

Whatever you do, do not send any payment with your name on it. You are not responsible, grandma may be but, not you.

Let the attorney help you navigate this, at grandmas expense.

If he was on rehab for a period of time at the nursing home then Medicare would've paid for part of that. At some point, Medicare releases the patient and stops paying for rehab stay after they have plateaued with PT/OT. The staff there should've communicated all this with your grandmother or whoever was POA at the time. Sounds like your grandfather then transitioned to longterm care at the same facility- there are only 2 ways to pay for that - either private pay or Medicaid. Was he on Medicaid? Someone would've had to have done all the applications and paperwork for that so there would be a paper trail. But it sounds like that was not the case since you are receiving a bill. That means he was most likely private pay and it wasn't paid or there is a balance. You need to contact the nursing home and find out all of this. If they are expecting payment, which depending on how long he was there, could be quite a substantial sum, you need to work out a payment plan with the nursing home. I would definitely talk to an elder care lawyer after you get all paperwork from the nursing home.