Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California

Re: paying debts after death

You're free to negotiate the bills, and it will probably result in some discounts at the least. It also pays to review the insurance plan he had, as people are often billed for amounts the insurance should cover, or amounts when the provider has agreed with the insurance company to provide the service at a greatly reduced rate.

Re: paying debts after death

If the bills would eat up a large portion of the estate, point that out to the medical providers. You can also point out that there would be little reason for you to incur the expense of probate and that if they do not compromise they might as well file for probate and bear all of those expenses and time delay.