If I make medical decisions for family can I be held accountable for medical expenses?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If I make medical decisions for family can I be held accountable for medical expenses?
My mother is dying and I am being asked to come and take her off of life support. I am a full time student with no disposable income and my mother was living in a tent with only Social Security as income. If I sign papers for the hospital or make medical decisions can I be held accountable for her bills? The same question goes for my younger brother who is in poor health. He wants me to be is Power of Attorney. If I legally become his POA can I be held responsible for his expenses?
Asked on July 9, 2016 under Estate Planning, South Carolina
Answers:
B.H.F., Member, Texas State Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
You will be held liable if you co-sign or sign as a guarantor for any medical bill.
If the medical provider asks you to sign a document that says you agree to accept financial responsibility, then you need to decline or only sign in a limited capacity. What I mean by this is if you are appointed as a power of attorney, make sure that you add a notation after your signature that reads "acting as power of attorney for____." This will make it clear that you are not signing in a personal capacity, but rather in your capacity as a power of attorney, executor, or whatever other capacity that you assume.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.