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Medical copayments for adult child

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What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Kentucky

This isn’t quite child support related.

My step-daughter is 18 and emancipated. Child support order was terminated by the courts. She is now living with her fiancé and according to her, self-sufficient. We still cover the adult kids on our insurance, it doesn’t cost us any different so we don’t mind.

Well we just found out she is pregnant. I understand that our insurance will cover step-daughter but she is still going to have co-payments. How do we protect ourselves from being liable for medical bills?
 


Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Kentucky

This isn’t quite child support related.

My step-daughter is 18 and emancipated. Child support order was terminated by the courts. She is now living with her fiancé and according to her, self-sufficient. We still cover the adult kids on our insurance, it doesn’t cost us any different so we don’t mind.

Well we just found out she is pregnant. I understand that our insurance will cover step-daughter but she is still going to have co-payments. How do we protect ourselves from being liable for medical bills?
Why do you think you or your husband would be liable for bills in the first place? :confused:
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
You don't have to do anything to "protect" yourself from being responsible for her medical bills. You are not responsible for her medical bills. She is an adult. Regardless of who is the subscriber to the policy, you are not responsible for any medical bills she incurs unless you sign something that says you are.
 
Why do you think you or your husband would be liable for bills in the first place? :confused:
I didn’t think we would be. We have not signed anything. But if she goes to the same hospital that she has gone to over the years, which is a definite possibility, they will automatically send us the bills.
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
That doesn't make you responsible for them. If they send you the bills, you send them right on to your step-daughter. They're her responsibility; not yours.

Better yet, you call the hospital billing office and tell them to send the bills directly to her, and give them her address.
 

xylene

Senior Member
Better yet, you call the hospital billing office and tell them to send the bills directly to her, and give them her address.
Really? You can change a third partiy's billing info just by calling and telling them you are their mom or something? They'll be Like "Oh so sorry mom, let me just wave HIPPA and standard billing practices"

I completely agree with you that Newlydivmomto4 should not be liable, but it won't be that easy to to simply not receive bills unless adult daughter is proactive.

Of course Newlydivmomto4 should not be opening her adult daughter's misdirected mail. ;)
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
HIPAA is exactly the reason the bills need to be sent to the ADULT daughter instead of to the parents. The father and step-mother should not be receiving anything at all about the adult child's medical bills. What makes you think HIPAA would need to be waived for this to happen?
 

xylene

Senior Member
HIPAA is exactly the reason the bills need to be sent to the ADULT daughter instead of to the parents. The father and step-mother should not be receiving anything at all about the adult child's medical bills. What makes you think HIPAA would need to be waived for this to happen?
The hospital is not going to discuss the daughter's bills with the OP, the daughter's account, or allow the op to change the daughter's billing address.

And in the unlikely case the bills are arriving in Newlydivmomto4 name, then more will need to be done to resolve the situation than telling them their daughter's current address by phone.
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
The hospital may indeed require confirmation from the daughter as to the accuracy of the address. I never said otherwise. And I never said word one about the hospital discussing the bills with them. Just saying, "She no longer lives at our address; here is the new address". If the hospital does not choose to update the address, at least they are on notice that the address is questionable.

But by the same token, they should not be automatically sending bills to anyone but the daughter unless that is the last known address.

You know, on thinking it over, you're right, xylene. They shouldn't call the hospital billing office. They should take any bills that are sent to them at their address that are for the daughter and write, Does Not Live At This Address and throw them back in the mail.

Now, as soon as you provide an answer as to how they will know which bills are for who without opening them if they are sent to the subscriber, we're all set.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
I suspect that, by saying "...they will automatically send us the bills", the OP means that the bills will be sent to the parent/stepparent in the name of the parent/stepparent.
If that is the case, then a phone call to the hospital is appropriate, followed up by certified mail stating that the patient is now eighteen and the parent/stepparent is no longer responsible for the bills.
 
I suspect that, by saying "...they will automatically send us the bills", the OP means that the bills will be sent to the parent/stepparent in the name of the parent/stepparent.
If that is the case, then a phone call to the hospital is appropriate, followed up by certified mail stating that the patient is now eighteen and the parent/stepparent is no longer responsible for the bills.
Yes, that is what I meant. She’s lived in the community all of her life so any hospital has her parents down for her responsible partly.

Thanks everyone for the information.
 

HRZ

Senior Member
I'm of view that the safer step is to notify everyone in writing NOW , confirmed delivery, that (dad/ step mom ) are no longer responsible for ( DD ) who is now 18 living at (GG) ..

It's a lot safer than trying to unwrap some earlier authorization you forgot to cancel after you get billed.
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
Not a bad suggestion, HRZ.
I see that as possibly causing confusion ahead of time and possibly getting the pregnant girl denied necessary care. That could be viewed as them stating they are no longer providing insurance. The hospital is going to know that she is 18. Its part of their records. If they make the mistake of billing it in the wrong name, they will have to correct it.

My daughter turned 18 while she was pregnant, both the doctor's office and the hospital caught that immediately.
 

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