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Paying daughter's hospital birth bill

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T

TK1

Guest
I have a question that I really need help with.I am ordered by the court to pay back the confinement expenses incurred when my 4 yr. old daughter was born because me and my (now) wife were not together when she was born. The total was $3000. Since then me and her mother have gotten married and had another baby together and I am constantly getting summoned to Friend of the Court in Sanilac County and going to jail over getting behind in payments! When this happens, my wife has to get day care expenses paid for by the state so the state turns around and pays me $200 per week to keep me in jail over a bill from 4 yrs. ago. It makes no sense. I need to know if there are any specific papers or forms I can fill out and file or petition to get this confinement expense dropped alltogether. I live in the state of Michigan and I need to know if there are any cases or public acts or precedence set that I can use as a reference. And can I file papers myself? Friend of the Court tells me that they can't drop it only FIA can, FIA tells me that only Friend of the Court can do it. I am getting the runaround! Please Help!
 


LegalBeagle

Senior Member
TK1 said:
I have a question that I really need help with.I am ordered by the court to pay back the confinement expenses incurred when my 4 yr. old daughter was born because me and my (now) wife were not together when she was born. The total was $3000. Since then me and her mother have gotten married and had another baby together and I am constantly getting summoned to Friend of the Court in Sanilac County and going to jail over getting behind in payments! When this happens, my wife has to get day care expenses paid for by the state so the state turns around and pays me $200 per week to keep me in jail over a bill from 4 yrs. ago. It makes no sense. I need to know if there are any specific papers or forms I can fill out and file or petition to get this confinement expense dropped alltogether. I live in the state of Michigan and I need to know if there are any cases or public acts or precedence set that I can use as a reference. And can I file papers myself? Friend of the Court tells me that they can't drop it only FIA can, FIA tells me that only Friend of the Court can do it. I am getting the runaround! Please Help!
Why don't you just pay it ?
 

usmcfamily

Senior Member
From what I read in your post I assume your now-wife must have been on assistance that covered the expenses for the birth of your first child -- in other words, the state paid for her medical care -- since the state has subsequently found you to be the father of the child and therefor responsible for her financially they are holding you responsible for the costs incurred for her birth. There is no reason they should not be pursuing your payments - this is a debt you owe and legally you are obligated to pay it....their pursuing you legally when you fail to pay is the only logical way for this to go. I understand that this is causing hardship for your family but quite honestly it is a completely justified hardship -- when we incur debt we must pay it .....regardless of how we feel about the fairness of that - - - - that is how the world works. It is commendable that you and your wife have since done the responsible thing and raised your family together and are now both financially supporting your children together, but that does not negate the fact that the state is owed the money it spent for your child's medical care.
Good luck and God Bless
 
T

TK1

Guest
Paying daughters hospital birth bill

Thank you to the people so far that have taken the time to reply to my husband's question. However, there are other circumstances that I would like to add to his question after reading the responses with him. Millions of people in Michigan do not have medical insurance everyday and medicaid pays for these births. As long as the father is with the mother they never have to pay a dime of it back to the state. I have worked since I was 15 yrs. old, but during the time I was pregnant for our 4 yr. old the only employment I had(McDonalds restaurant) didn't offer insurance. I worked up until 2 days before giving birth. Now that her father and I are back together and had a second child together it is me also that is paying this back. We do make payments, but circumstances always seem to happen such as Oct. 2nd I went off of work on disability due to pregnancy complications. I gave birth Nov. 9th. I make more than my husband so we barely could put food on the table for my 7 yr. old and our 4 yr. old. needless to say we couldn't make the payments. Do you believe someone should go to jail on getting behind on a medical bill? Millions of Americans everyday receive treatment in hospitals and do not go to jail if they miss 4 weeks of payments!!! Yes, that's right, 4 weeks of payments is what he missed. That is why we wanted to get it dropped, because my husband decided to put food on the table for his family instead of paying that bill when we were down and out, he will go to jail again for it. I don't think this is fair. We've tried getting loans to pay it off, no bank or no one will give us a loan. So we will all continue to pay(incl.our children when their Dad is in Jail for Christmas this year) because of a poor decision my husband made when he left 4 1/2 yrs. ago.
 

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