Modern Family Liability—Filial Responsibility of Children for Their Parents’ Health Care and Long Term Costs and Other Collection Options and Tools

What happens when a person who is in need of long term care is not able to pay for it? Two state courts recently used “filial responsibility” laws to hold children liable for almost $200,000 of their parents’ unpaid nursing home bills. Currently a majority of states have laws that can make adult children financially responsible for their parents’ necessities of life, including unpaid medical and long term care bills, when the parents do not have the ability to pay for such necessities. While filial responsibility laws have rarely been enforced in the past, recent court decisions have used them to hold children liable for their parents’ unpaid nursing home bills. Can you use this law? There will also be discussion of other options to collect past due accounts, especially if the resident has left the facility or has died.