If I died will/ would my wife be responsable for medical bills

[TNRebel 5]

If I die ( not anytime soon! I hope!! ha ha) and my wife is not becoming a us citizen would she be responsible? what if she returned back to her native country?

[Penguin_ie 5,994]

That would depend on the circumstances. Usually, they cannot make the wife pay but if she does not, she may also need to refuse any inheritance.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Your estate would be responsible, which means before anything you owned /held at death could be turned over to someone else your outstanding debts would need to be settled.

[TNRebel 5]

I guess eventually I will meet with an attorney to see the best route, I am thinking she will return to family in native home, my 401k and other things like sold home etc would provide a much better lifestyle there than here. I doubt creditors are calling a foreign country..and I think she would have some time to leave before it ever reached legal stage I don't know if they could eventually freeze my 401k/ ssi benefits..hopefully I will be treated at a foreign hospital eventually plan on working just part time and living out of the country, I don't want my wife to struggle with medical bills or have a major negative financial impact ..it's something that doesn't happen in other countries

[Merrytooth 5,748]

Other countries? People just choose to die without medical treatments because they can't afford and do not want to put the whole family in debt.

[Lemonslice 4,885]

Do you have existing medical debt? Otherwise, insurance would prevent huge bills and struggle for your wife, no?

[N-o-l-a 7,168]

With medicare and/or other insurance there is likely to not be any great medical bills. Do you have long term care insurance?

[TNRebel 5]

I do have insurance but most isurance only pays 80% and there is always someone in the medical billing who forgets to file in a timely filing, it doesn't take much time in the icu to run up 300,000 bill or more leaving 60,000 or more left to pay hopefully, but I am not optimistic due to future cuts in medicaid as a supplemental insurance, .. no I have 0 medical debt or condition, I am much older than my wife so just trying to do the best I can to plan for the future

[Lemonslice 4,885]

There are annual maximum... I think the best thing is to review your policy with your wife, so if anything unfortunate were to happen, she'd know what to expect. It is very commendable of you to take care of these things.

Edited September 29, 2016 by Lemonslice

[TNRebel 5]

I love my wife, trying secure a comfortable future for her so she will not be stressed or have hardships when she is older...I won't ever retire now ha ha but that was the choice I made, if it wasn't for her i'd just be blowing cash trying to live a jimmy buffett lifestyle which ain't bad, but my life with her is an extremely fulfilling, purposefull happy life.. just a different path,I had reached a point where I almost gave up having the life I have now with her. I got the perfect person for me.

[NicMel16 3]

TNRebel, you should consult with an attorney to plan your estate and prepare a will. When you pass your real and personal property becomes part of your estate. Life insurance and retirements go to beneficiaries so they are not a part of the estate unless the beneficiary is a trust you set up for your estate. You wife/heirs would have to probate your estate in the state and county where you were domiciled at the time of your death. Probate Court publishes a notice to debtors/creditors in the local paper which allows any debtor/creditor who are owed money at your passing to make a claim against your estate. They will also contact the attorney who is probating your estate on behalf of your wife/heirs in an effort to get pay. If there is not enough assets in your estate to pay them then they do not get paid. If you do have enough money, then the attorney can negotiate to reduce the amount owed and pay them from the estate. They will not come after your wife/heirs personally for your debts after your death.

[Jojo92122 1,924]

I guess eventually I will meet with an attorney to see the best route, I am thinking she will return to family in native home, my 401k and other things like sold home etc would provide a much better lifestyle there than here. I doubt creditors are calling a foreign country..and I think she would have some time to leave before it ever reached legal stage I don't know if they could eventually freeze my 401k/ ssi benefits..hopefully I will be treated at a foreign hospital eventually plan on working just part time and living out of the country, I don't want my wife to struggle with medical bills or have a major negative financial impact ..it's something that doesn't happen in other countries

Your wife can not simply leave the US with your assets. She would be committing financial crimes by depriving the creditors of payments from your assets.

Whether you die with a will or without one, your assets will needed to go through probate. With a trust, you would need a trust administration.

The system does not allow your wife to skip town with your assets and leave the creditors high and dry.

[David & Diana R 1,005]

I guess eventually I will meet with an attorney to see the best route, I am thinking she will return to family in native home, my 401k and other things like sold home etc would provide a much better lifestyle there than here. I doubt creditors are calling a foreign country..and I think she would have some time to leave before it ever reached legal stage I don't know if they could eventually freeze my 401k/ ssi benefits..hopefully I will be treated at a foreign hospital eventually plan on working just part time and living out of the country, I don't want my wife to struggle with medical bills or have a major negative financial impact ..it's something that doesn't happen in other countries

Here's a thought! Life Insurance!!!

[JR loves JR 196]

Go see a financial advisor and set up a plan in advance. They should be able to give you some good advice. Dave Ramsey has an easy to understand series called financial peace university that discusses the basics of health insurance and life insurance if you don't want to go to see someone individually.

[Jojo92122 1,924]

I guess eventually I will meet with an attorney to see the best route, I am thinking she will return to family in native home, my 401k and other things like sold home etc would provide a much better lifestyle there than here. I doubt creditors are calling a foreign country..and I think she would have some time to leave before it ever reached legal stage I don't know if they could eventually freeze my 401k/ ssi benefits..hopefully I will be treated at a foreign hospital eventually plan on working just part time and living out of the country, I don't want my wife to struggle with medical bills or have a major negative financial impact ..it's something that doesn't happen in other countries

Dude,

I am trying to help you and your wife avoid some pitfalls.

Your own words above.