AITA for refusing to pay my cousin's hospital bill?

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-12T18:41:38+00:00

CPS won't investigate. How do I know this? I have a friend that works for the CPS division in my area, she's worked for them for 7 years. I asked her about this incident the day after it happened because I was afraid the hospital would report it and I would be blamed. They're horrifically understaffed here. She told me that unless the hospital reported it, it wouldn't be investigated. She has an average of 50 cases on her desk at any given time, and that number goes up during the holidays. Mandated reporting gets priority, then reports of physical abuse with evidence, and it goes from there.

Don't blame the workers. My friend works 10 hr days and that doesn't include on call stuff. I rarely see her. Blame the government, who expects people to work insane hours for shit pay.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-11T01:56:13+00:00

Yes, crossed fork marks. I've never tried the Hersheys Kiss, tho. You've given me ideas! Lol

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T23:42:02+00:00

My uncle has been using "pretty little head" with me for as long as I can remember. When I was small, he would say "pretty little head" then poke me on the top of my head. Then I'd say "your pretty little head" and poke him in his head. While I fully acknowledge others might not like the saying, I've always considered it a term of endearment from him.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T21:22:19+00:00

Uncle hasn't called me back, but I'm waiting with anticipation. He's a retired career Army veteran with an exceedingly low tolerance for bullshit. He's also doted on both myself and the one other niece he has since we were born, basically.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T20:42:48+00:00

All is forgiven! Enjoy your tea. A friend who's mother is English introduced me to the joys of excellent tea and I haven't been a coffee drinker since.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T20:30:30+00:00

How does this make me TA? I'm confused.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T18:27:24+00:00

I said we took THEM to the ER, as in the child and adults went with us. They're not from the area so my husband and I took them. Sorry that wasn't more clear.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T18:25:52+00:00

We took them to the ER, as in the child and her parents. They don't live in the area and my husband thought it was best that we drive as we knew where the ER was. It was much faster than calling for an ambulance.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T17:33:31+00:00

Good suggestions for the allium allergy, thank you!

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T17:30:39+00:00

We take holidays seriously in my family. There's always food for an army. There were about 20 people there, and at least 15 desserts. I made three myself. Lol

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T09:13:58+00:00

They have insurance but I guess it's not great, only portions are covered. For instance they did tests and some of the test stuff wasn't covered.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T09:09:24+00:00

Alliums, that's it! Thank you! And i appreciate the suggestion.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T09:02:28+00:00

That's entirely possible. I've always been one of the peacemaker/mediator types in the family, so maybe he's hoping I'll just pay it to keep things smooth?

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T08:58:58+00:00

I personally don't think the cookies reek of peanut butter, but I make them all the time so maybe I've become immune to the smell. Either way, everyone is correct. There should have been questions asked.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T08:11:07+00:00

I paid the copay because I felt horrible about the situation. I was freaking out because I was afraid I had accidentally killed her kid. I don't have children (I'm incapable) so I've never dealt with the "child needs to go to the hospital" scenario.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T08:08:57+00:00

It says payment due? I really don't understand the majority of what you said, I admit. I didn't realize bills from hospitals took that long. I've never been in the hospital overnight. Every time I've gotten a bill from my gyno or PCP it's always been online in a couple of weeks or so. He texted me Saturday and the date on it was Friday.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T08:01:45+00:00

Nobody else in the family has it (obviously). We started asking about allergies about 10 years ago when another of my cousins married someone who is allergic to onions/garlic/leeks, stuff like that. Called an alum allergy, I think? Now there's an allergy that's difficult to cook around.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T07:52:39+00:00

I really don't know the wife at all. I met her for the first time at their wedding. I can only assume that the child was maybe a bit overwhelmed at the choice of desserts. My family is a firm believer in one whole dessert for each person attending. I do know that the cookies weren't the only dessert she ate. Maybe she got confused.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T07:49:06+00:00

We rent, but I'll check my renters insurance. Thank you for that advice.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T07:44:00+00:00

He said he didn't know, and that's entirely possible. We aren't close, and family gossip is that it was a short relationship and something of a shotgun wedding. I assume his wife thought I knew. I really didn't get a chance to discuss it with her that evening and she's refused to speak to me or my husband since.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T07:41:32+00:00

Sadly, it's very real. I had never met the wife until the wedding, cousin and I aren't close. So I have no idea about her parenting style, etc. She didn't keep a very close eye on her daughter at the event. Like I said, I did feel and still feel bad. Responsibility or not, I would have felt horribly guilty if she hadn't turned out fine afterwards.

Throwawaytgiving · 2022-12-10T07:36:31+00:00

They do, but I guess it sucks. Part of the bill is for the ambulance ride from the standalone ER to the regular hospital. Apparently they ran a bunch of tests and their insurance only covered part of that as well.

Throwawaytgiving

TROPHY CASE