Man receives a 3-cent bill for his dead dad from insurance company—so he got petty (and creative)

A Reddit user sparked outrage and hilarity after sharing a three-cent insurance bill addressed to their father—who has been deceased for over a year. Posted to the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit, Redditor u/PatrickGSR94 included a photo of the bill for a few cents’ worth of prescriptions, along with the sarcastic note (and three pennies) they mailed back.

“My father, deceased over a year ago, received a bill for prescriptions for 3 cents,” they wrote. “I’m definitely going to pay it, along with a personal note. 😂”

“They also say that this will be the only collection attempt and will not send it to claims. So what even is the point?? They just cost themselves extra money in postage,” the Redditor said. Their post racked up over 38K upvotes and 1.3K comments in 24 hours.

The photos u/PatrickGSR94 shared included the redacted bill for the balance of 3 cents, as well as a personal note that reads, “Please note that [redacted] passed away over a year ago. Enjoy your 3 pennies.” They included three physical pennies in the letter.

Medical bills in the United States are often needlessly complicated and confusing

For many Americans, a confusing or unaffordable medical bill is just another envelope to groan at and set aside. But according to recent research from USC’s Schaeffer Center, ignoring those bills may come at a high cost. Nearly 1 in 5 adults reported receiving a medical charge they either couldn’t afford or didn’t agree with, but a large chunk of those people opted not to fight the bills. Many cited the fact that they doubted it would help or be worth the effort. 

However, for those who did reach out, the outcomes were surprisingly positive: three-quarters saw billing errors corrected, and over 60% got discounts or financial assistance. Most interactions with billing offices were resolved in under an hour, and people reported generally felt respected during the process. Despite this, disparities lingered. Individuals without a college degree or lacking insurance were much less likely to challenge their bills, potentially leaving money on the table. 

Do you need to pay medical bills for deceased loved ones?

Contrary to common fears, family members typically aren’t responsible for the deceased’s unpaid medical bills. Instead, those debts are paid out of the deceased person’s estate: whatever money, property, or investments they leave behind. 

Only in certain cases, like when a spouse lives in a community property state or someone co-signed for care, do those payments carry over. In many instances, the debt is simply written off. Even so, debt collectors may still call grieving relatives, leading many to believe they’re obligated to pay. Legally, they’re not, unless they signed paperwork agreeing to it.

Reddit reacts to a three-cent bill insurance sent to a dead man

“Send them 4 Cents wait a week and then ask them If they can Return what you paid over,” Redditor u/Lukes-Panoptikum suggested. Their comment was upvoted over 18K times with folks adding onto the suggestions.

One truly chaotic individual (u/sicilian504) recommended, “A nickel in a gallon sized Ziploc bag filled with glitter covered by Gorilla double sided tape covered with 3M double sided automotive tape, also covered in glitter. Then send a letter in another one requesting the $0.03 back since you overpaid. Then send another one two days later saying ‘Oops. Sorry, I meant two cents.’”

Other folks on Reddit told OP not to pay the bill because it wasn’t their problem and could open them up to paying other bigger bills.

u/PatrickGSR94 did not respond immediately to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via Reddit direct message.

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