It may come as a surprise to some people, but you can be held personally responsible for your spouse’s bills if they are for payment of necessaries. In the case of East Longmeadow Management Systems v. Wilson, the nursing home resident’s wife, Judith Wilson, was successfully sued for $45,243.24 in unpaid nursing home bills of her husband, Robert Wilson. This case serves as a stern warning to older married persons that they need to obtain legal advice from an elder law attorney when their spouse enters a nursing home. If she had done so, all of her husband’s nursing home bills could have been covered.
Even though Robert had no assets and even though Judith had not signed any contract or agreement accepting financial responsibility for his nursing home bills, she was successfully sued because she did not file for and obtain MassHealth (i.e. Medicaid) benefits for him on a timely basis. On a motion for summary judgment, the Court found that under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 209, Section 1, she was liable as his wife for the full cost of necessaries furnished to Robert during his life.
This case highlights why anybody concerned about the costs of nursing home care should be sure to obtain legal advice about MassHealth. If Judith had obtained legal advice from a Certified Elder Law Attorney promptly after Robert entered a nursing home, she would have learned how to apply for MassHealth for him on a timely basis. MassHealth coverage could have been applied for as long as three months after his health insurance had stopped paying for his care.
For some basic information about the at-home spouse’s ability to retain assets under MassHealth (i.e., Medicaid) law, see http://elderlawblog.info/2010/04/05/preserving-all-assets-and-maximum-income-for-the-community-spouse-when-the-other-spouse-enters-a-nursing-home/
MassHealth: Medicaid in Massachusetts 