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Advice on bill appearing after death

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  • 23-07-2012 11:04am
    #1
    daenerysstormborn3
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,213 ✭✭✭


    I wasn't sure where else on boards I could post this so I just picked here.

    My boyfriend's father passed away in October. My boyfriend had spent 8 years caring for his father prior to his passing. His father was hospitalised and quarantined 3 times, for at least a week duration each time, during those 8 years with suspected TB, each time it turned out he didn't have TB at all.

    This morning we received by post a letter from a Consultant in the hospital setting out consultant fees due marked as "inpatient", dates and then the amount. The fees due are €1,697.01. The dates set out are 15/05/06 to 13/06/06 and 21/09/05 to 29/09/05. We believe that these are times when he was quarantined for TB.

    My boyfriend's father was old-fashioned, the minute bills came in the door he went straight out that same morning to pay them without fail. He always had the money to pay his bills, thankfully. We are having a difficult time believing that his father left this bill to be paid. That is just completely out of character for him.

    My boyfriend's father was prepared for his passing, it was something he discussed in length with my boyfriend, letting him know that he had looked after things, such as his plot (he also arrived home one day and told my boyfriend that he didn't have to worry about where he was going to be buried when he died, that he had sorted it for him), he was that sort of person, prepared and organised. He also told my boyfriend that all his bills were paid and that there was nothing outstanding.

    I don't know if it's relevant but my boyfriend's father had a medical card - should it have covered these fees?

    In the last 6 years my boyfriend has never once received a bill or letter in relation to these fees (he used to open his dad's post with him so they didn't miss anything) and now suddenly they're looking for money. There's no way at this point that my boyfriend would be able to dig out a receipt showing the fees paid - which we are almost 100% certain they were.

    We are not trying to get out of paying these fees but my boyfriend believes that there is no way his father left them unpaid.

    We're just wondering if anyone has any advice on this matter.


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    #2
    P. Breathnach
    Registered Users Posts: 12,089 ✭✭✭✭P. Breathnach


    It's not uncommon for medical consultants to be slow in presenting a bill (neither is it uncommon for them to be very fast - they seem not to occupy the middle ground very much). I suspect that the consultant made a choice to wait for a respectful interval after the death before presenting the bill.

    I can't say whether the medical card should have covered things: it depends on the basis on which he was hospitalised.

    To my mind, there is nothing wrong in your boyfriend writing to the consultant asking for clarification, asking the basis on which a charge arises for a medical card holder.


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    #3
    daenerysstormborn3
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,213 ✭✭✭daenerysstormborn3


    This has now actually made me think of something else. My boyfriend's father was brought by ambulance to hospital after collapsing at home and passed away there. He was laid out in the hospital so that we could see him one last time. I don't believe a bill has ever been presented for that. Is that something that we can also expect to appear?

    My boyfriend is going to contact the Consultant as soon as his father's Will is sorted out. Thanks for the reply.


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    #4
    geneyuss
    Closed Accounts Posts: 270 ✭✭geneyuss


    Not wanting to sound crass here but if the name on the bill is that of the gentleman that passed away, how is it up to your boyfriend to pay it ?

    for example, If i had a credit union loan out for home improvements or a holiday or whatever, and i passed away, i cant see how it would be up to my parents (next of kin) to pay it if the credit union kept sending out letters to me looking for payment, i personally believe this bill is now null and void because the patient has passed away.

    I'm sure these doctors/consultants have some kind of insurance that's covers their costs in these events which happen regularly.

    I also believe the med card will cover it anyhow.


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    #5
    daenerysstormborn3
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,213 ✭✭✭daenerysstormborn3


    As far as I understand all outstanding debts are to be discharged through a person's Will.

    The letter is addressed to The Representatives of....


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    #6
    P. Breathnach
    Registered Users Posts: 12,089 ✭✭✭✭P. Breathnach


    geneyuss wrote: »
    Not wanting to sound crass here but if the name on the bill is that of the gentleman that passed away, how is it up to your boyfriend to pay it ? ...
    It seems that there is a will. It is the duty of the executor of that will to pay all lawful debts (insofar as the estate is able to cover them). If OP's boyfriend is nominated as executor, he will have to deal with it; if not, he should pass the bill over to the nominated executor.


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    #7
    Kimbot
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 18,467 Mod ✭✭✭✭Kimbot


    I do think those fees should be covered by medical card tho. Ring the hospital with details of the bill and card and see what they say.


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    #8
    daenerysstormborn3
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,213 ✭✭✭daenerysstormborn3


    Well my boyfriend isn't the executor, one of our neighbour's is, but as far as I understand any money left in the Will should be used to cover outstanding debts. It's not like the executor should be expected to cover debts themselves just because they were nominated as executor.


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    #9
    missjm
    Registered Users Posts: 268 ✭✭missjm


    pixiebean22 wrote: »
    Well my boyfriend isn't the executor, one of our neighbour's is, but as far as I understand any money left in the Will should be used to cover outstanding debts. It's not like the executor should be expected to cover debts themselves just because they were nominated as executor.

    Has your boyfriend liaised with the executor and been to his father's solicitor? All of these bills will have to be presented to the solicitor and he will liaise with the hospital and consultant. Did the father have any health insurance? I'm struggling to understand why a doctor would wait 6 years to send out a bill to be honest. Am I missing something there?


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    #10
    daenerysstormborn3
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,213 ✭✭✭daenerysstormborn3


    missjm wrote: »
    Has your boyfriend liaised with the executor and been to his father's solicitor? All of these bills will have to be presented to the solicitor and he will liaise with the hospital and consultant. Did the father have any health insurance? I'm struggling to understand why a doctor would wait 6 years to send out a bill to be honest. Am I missing something there?

    He has done nothing but that for the past 9 months. No, his dad didn't have health insurance.

    We don't understand it either.


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    #11
    missjm
    Registered Users Posts: 268 ✭✭missjm


    pixiebean22 wrote: »
    He has done nothing but that for the past 9 months. No, his dad didn't have health insurance.

    We don't understand it either.

    Well then as OP above said, the solicitor will use funds from the estate to cover outstanding bills.

    I still can't believe they were so slow in sending out that bill though.


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    #12
    P. Breathnach
    Registered Users Posts: 12,089 ✭✭✭✭P. Breathnach


    missjm wrote: »
    ...
    I still can't believe they were so slow in sending out that bill though.
    It's fairly normal to give bereaved people a bit of time before sending bills. It usually takes more than a year to settle estates, so six months after death should be considered reasonable.

    The real question is whether or not it should be paid.


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    #13
    daenerysstormborn3
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,213 ✭✭✭daenerysstormborn3


    P. Breathnach wrote: »
    It's fairly normal to give bereaved people a bit of time before sending bills. It usually takes more than a year to settle estates, so six months after death should be considered reasonable.

    The real question is whether or not it should be paid.

    And the high possibility that it was in fact paid already, given the track record of my boyfriend's father.

    We're hoping that after 9 difficult months that his father's Will will be settled this week (CAT office in Kildare will be processing the form on Monday) and assets distributed so after that point we will deal with this matter.


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    #14
    missjm
    Registered Users Posts: 268 ✭✭missjm


    P. Breathnach wrote: »
    It's fairly normal to give bereaved people a bit of time before sending bills. It usually takes more than a year to settle estates, so six months after death should be considered reasonable.

    The real question is whether or not it should be paid.

    I completely agree, 6 months would be a reasonable amount of time. But 6 years!!??
    And to be honest, the bills nowadays come out fairly prompt. The only one we didn't receive within a few weeks was the funeral one.

    If the bill has already been paid, the solicitor will establish this. Leave it in his/her hands, they will be taking their fee anyway.


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    #15
    daenerysstormborn3
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,213 ✭✭✭daenerysstormborn3


    See the thing is, this is the only bill of this nature that has to be paid, that's why we're so skeptical about it's legitimacy.

    Unfortunately, the solicitor handling the Will is a lazy idiot so we'll be getting our own solicitor to look after this (I'm fortunate in that I work in a solicitor's office) and the solicitor's bill is going to be questioned (may result in being sent for taxation) because her professional input and conduct over the last 9 months has been absolutely disgraceful.

    Again, thanks for all the replies.


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