Can I use our HSA account to pay for my dependent mother's remaining medical expenses?

[kathfischer]

She lived with us and was declared as our dependent. But she had Medicare. She passed away earlier this year, but there was no money left in her estate to pay the balances that remained after Medicare. 

[Opus 17 · Accepted solution]

Well, firstly you may want to check with an attorney in your state to see if debts that are in her name are passed down to her heirs, many times they are not and the debt just ends.

Assuming that you must (or just want to) to pay the medical expenses, you can use an HSA to pay medical expenses of yourself, a spouse or a dependent, even if they have other insurance and aren't eligible to contribute to an HSA.  The expense must be incurred after the HSA account was opened.

[kathfischer]

Great answer Opus.  I appreciate the recommendation to consult a lawyer about the debt and also your sensitivity to the fact that I might actually want to pay the debts (because in our case we had very good relationships with these doctors, some of whom are my own doctors, and I don't feel good about not paying them since they took good care of my mom). But the expenses are high enough that I'd rather use my HSA than my own checking account. Thanks again for the solid advice!