A recent decision in Pennsylvania by a panel of three state-court appellate judges ruled that an Allentown nursing home owned by HCR ManorCare could collect an unpaid bill of $92,943 from the son of a patient who received care from September 2007 through March 2008. This decision brought attention to this often asked questions; “Am I responsible for my parent’s nursing home bills”? In Georgia, the answer has historically been no. However, the state of Georgia, like Pennsylvania has a “filial responsibility” law on our books which states generally that children have a duty to provide necessities for parents who cannot do so for themselves. The Georgia law has never been utilized to hold adult children responsible for their parent’s nursing home bills, however, it’s Pennsylvania counterpart how has.
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