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Senate debate questions how broad medical-debt relief for surviving spouses should be
Summary
Senators spent extended floor time on SB 1469, a bill that would prevent surviving spouses from automatically becoming liable for a decedent's medical debt; discussion focused on scope, effects on hospitals/providers, probate interactions, and whether insurers or estates remain liable.
Senate substitute SB 1469, presented May 8 by Sen. Derek Lesser, would change how medical debt is treated after a patient's death by preventing an automatic transfer of liability to a surviving spouse. Lesser described the bill as intended to relieve bereaved spouses of a financial burden while leaving the decedent's estate and insurance obligations intact.
The committee chair said the bill relies on definitions already in chapter 46b of the general statutes and that the proposal is limited to medical debts under the medical-assistance/public-health focus of the Human Services Committee. "This bill is not about forgiving any debt," Lesser…
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