Letter to a provider after a death.
When someone dies, tell each hospital and doctor in writing. This letter reports the death, names who handles the estate and asks that bills go to the estate, not to family members, without promising to pay them.
Last updated .
When to use it
- Someone has died, and a hospital, doctor or lab still has an open bill in their name.
- You are the executor or administrator of the estate, or a relative helping before one is named.
- Bills or calls are reaching family members who have not agreed to pay.
The letter
Highlighted words in brackets are blanks. Replace each one with your own details.
[Today's date]
[Hospital or provider name] Billing Office [Billing office address]
Re: Notice that a patient has died Patient: [Full name of the person who died] Date of death: [Date of death] Account number: [Account number on the bill]
Dear Billing Office,
I am writing to tell you that [Full name of the person who died] has died. I am the patient's [Your relationship to the person, for example spouse, child or executor]. I can send a copy of the death certificate if you need one.
Please send all bills and notices about this account to the person who handles the estate, and not to family members:
[Name and address of the executor or administrator, or "Not appointed yet"]
I am also asking you to:
1. Send an itemized bill for every date of service, showing what insurance, Medicare or Medicaid paid. 2. Tell me whether your financial assistance policy could apply to these bills, and how to apply for the estate. 3. Hold this account while the estate is being handled. Please do not send it to a collection agency or report it to a credit bureau.
Please send your answer in writing.
This letter is not a promise that I will pay these bills from my own money, and I am not agreeing to be responsible for them.
Sincerely,
[Your full name] [Your mailing address] [Your phone number]
How to send it
- Send one to each provider. One hospital stay can bring bills from the hospital, doctors, a lab and an ambulance service. Send a letter to each one, and to any collector that has written, at the address on its notice.
- Say who handles the estate. That person is the executor or administrator. If nobody has been named yet, write "Not appointed yet" and send an update later. The probate court in the county where the person lived, or a legal aid office, can explain how your state handles an estate.
- Do not promise to pay. Family members, spouses included, usually do not have to pay a relative's medical bills from their own money. The exceptions are people who co-signed or agreed to pay, a surviving spouse under certain state rules, and anyone who handled the estate and did not follow state probate law Source 1Source 2. Rules on community property differ by state, and the list of those states includes Nevada Source 2. If you are not sure, ask an estate attorney or a legal aid office before you pay anything.
- Ask for the records you need. A provider must treat the executor or administrator as the patient's representative for the health information that role needs Source 3. Other relatives may get less: a provider may share what is relevant to their part in the person's care or bills, unless the person asked it not to Source 4.
- Send it in a way you can prove. Certified mail with a return receipt gives you a record. Keep a copy of the letter and the receipt.
What happens next
The provider may update its records, ask for a death certificate or court papers that show who handles the estate, or keep billing until it has them. Answer any request in writing and keep copies. This letter does not cancel a bill or make a collector stop.
- Bills go to the estate first. The estate pays what it can, and what it cannot cover usually goes unpaid Source 1Source 2.
- If a collector contacts you. A debt can be collected from the estate, and collectors may deal with the executor or administrator Source 5. If you are neither, a collector may contact you only to find that person and should not discuss the debt with you. Even with the executor or administrator, it may not say or hint that they must pay from their own money Source 6. You can tell any collector, in writing, to stop contacting you. It must then stop, except to say it is ending its efforts or may take a specific step such as a lawsuit Source 7.
- If the person had Medicaid. A state must seek to recover some Medicaid costs from the estate of an older enrollee, within limits, and must waive recovery that would cause undue hardship Source 8. Ask the state Medicaid agency about its rules and how to ask for a waiver.
- If the person might have qualified for Medicaid. In many states, Medicaid can cover care from the months before an application, even if the person has since died Source 9. This may not apply in every state, so ask the state Medicaid office.
- If you get court papers, respond by the date on them. An estate attorney or a legal aid office can help.
Estate rules differ by state. An estate attorney or a legal aid office can tell you what applies to you.
Next step
If you need help with your own situation, these can help:
Sources
Note 1 FTC, "Debts and Deceased Relatives". Published February 2023. Last checked November 3, 2026.
Note 2 CFPB, "Does a person's debt go away when they die?" (Ask CFPB 1463). Published October 15, 2026. Last checked November 3, 2026.
Note 3 45 CFR 164.502(g) (eCFR). Published 2026. Last checked November 3, 2026.
Note 4 45 CFR 164.510(b) (eCFR). Published 2026. Last checked November 3, 2026.
Note 5 12 CFR 1006.2(e) and 1006.6(a)(4) (eCFR). Published 2026. Last checked November 3, 2026.
Note 6 CFPB, "Can a debt collector contact me about a deceased relative's debts?" (Ask CFPB 1469). Published October 19, 2023. Last checked November 3, 2026.
Note 7 15 U.S.C. 1692c(c), United States Code via GovInfo; 12 CFR 1006.6(c). Published 2024. Last checked November 3, 2026.
Note 8 42 U.S.C. 1396p(b), United States Code via GovInfo. Published 2024. Last checked November 3, 2026.
Note 9 42 CFR 435.915(a) (eCFR). Published 2026. Last checked November 3, 2026.
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