Can my 63 year old mom get arrested for not paying her medical bills off?

Question

Hi my mom is on medicare she has no other insurance but medicare.

And my mom gets pounded with medical bills that medicare dosen't pay. The highest bill my mom got is a 2,000 bill from a hospital. Can the bill collectors take my mom too jail?

Answer 1

she needs a medicare suppelement to cover what medicare doesn't pay. does she have medicare disability? I noticed she is only 63 so I would assume so.  

Answer 2

No, she won't go to jail. They'll write them off and they will go to a collection agency. If she still doesn't pay, they will just keep harassing her. Tell her to tell the collection agency not to call her, then they can only send letters, which can go to the trash. Her credit will be ruined by not paying them, but not sure if that matters.

Answer 3

No, but they can sue her.

Answer 4

If she gets pounded with these bills then maybe she should consider getting a Medicare supplement policy to cover them.

Answer 5

No.  Although they'll probably tell you they will.  

All they can do is put a lein against any of her assets, and keep piling on the late fees.  If she gets a paycheck, they can put a lein on that.  If she has a house or a car, they can put a lein on that.  They MIGHT be able to make her sell the house or the car, depending on her state homestead laws.

And when she passes on, her debt is NOT inheritable.  But all her assets must be used to pay off the debt, before any assets are inheritable.

Answer 6

Contact her local Ombudsman (check the yellow pages) or the county office for the aging - they should be able to help her get relief.  Also, many hospitals provide "charity care" and people are too proud to ask for it.  It never hurts to call Administration at the hosp and ask for assistance.

Answer 7

As mentioned above she won't be jailed but her assets may be attached.

In the future, however, she needs to be covered better. If she has just Medicare she needs additional insurance. At 63 a Medicare Supplement will be hard to find (they usually don't write for anyone under 65) but she can get a Medicare Advantage plan. These plans have a low or even a $0 premium. Many have a low co-pay for inpatient hospitalization, such as $200 - $500 which is much better than $2000. Visit a local agent that works in the senior market with all the major companies in her area to find the best plan for her.