If Tourist has medical emergency here, are we liable for the bill?

[hello28 0]

My wife's parents will be coming here on a tourist Visa. I plan to get visitor health insurance for her, but most only have a small maximum amount they will cover, and most don't cover pre-existing conditions. My question is, are we responsible for paying any medical bills for her parents if something unexpected were to happen, and their visitor health insurance doesn't cover it??

I did read someplace that you have to be careful if they are admitted to a hospital since the hospital may want you to sign some documents saying your will take on the financial responsibility. So I figure if we don't sign that, the hospital won't take them??

Thanks for your help. Also, please move to a different forum if this is not the correct location for this question. It's been years since I've been on this site!

Edited March 18, 2014 by hello28

[belinda63 3,047]

You are not legally responsible for the bills for another person unless you agree to be (as by signing papers to that affect) or are ordered by a court to be. A person having a true emergency which is threat to life, limb, or giving birth cannot be denied medical care. But all they have to do is stabilize the person, not fully treat them.

To answer your question if you refuse to sign papers accepting financial responsibility they cannot come after you. But they might not provide full care just stabilization.

[RhettVoe 282]

You cannot be held responsible for their financial/medical issues.....which is why....there is NO such thing as having to sign an affidavit of support (I 134) because that document is not enforceable...which is why....letters telling the CO that your relative's expenses will be covered, etc, are meaningless because no one can take you to court and force you to pay some liability of said relative.

[hello28 0]

You cannot be held responsible for their financial/medical issues.....which is why....there is NO such thing as having to sign an affidavit of support (I 134) because that document is not enforceable...which is why....letters telling the CO that your relative's expenses will be covered, etc, are meaningless because no one can take you to court and force you to pay some liability of said relative.

I was wondering about this, because I can't remember if we signed an I-134 affidavit of support, or if we sent a letter saying we would take care of them financially while here. I was worried that we may have filled one of those out or sent a letter when they got the tourist Visa.. and was wondering if that would hold us to having to pay their medical bills if something happened here.

Edited March 18, 2014 by hello28

[Merrytooth 5,748]

Legally you don't have to pay, morally you should pay. Otherwise don't bring your relatives here for visit.

All these talk of how "Oh I would be responsible for them once they are in US.. blah blah..invitation letter during tourist visa interview" but their balls shrink if they know they have to be burdened by medical emergency bills of the so-called tourist.

Maybe US should have mandatory travel insurances requirements for all tourists.

Edited March 18, 2014 by Merrytooth

[RhettVoe 282]

While a lot of people believe or think that a signed, 'notarized' (woo-hoo!) I 134 will cause instant visa issuance, in reality, the applicant might as well present some ole newspaper in which a fish was wrapped...both have the same value during a tourist visa interview.

On another site, I have read numerous postings by nervous relatives who did sign an I-134, their relative wound up in the hospital, ran up a $10,000-$20,000 bill, and the alleged 'supportive' relative did not want pay and wanted advice on how to avoid paying! So much for the value and worth of said I-134....(i.e....none).

Again, this is why letters that purport to 'guarantee' that the visiting relative won't become a public charge might as well be used to line a cat box. Sure, one set of relatives might volunteer to pay for the airline ticket and some meals, but no one in their right mind would volunteer to shell out thousands for a medical procedure...so, the VOs will just stifle a yawn when an applicant waves that oh-so-precious I-134 in front of the interviewing window, as if by merely seeing it, the VO will happily approve a visa for a person who was otherwise not qualified.....won't happen.

Edited March 18, 2014 by RhettVoe