Might the birth parent be stuck with medical costs even though the baby is being placed for adoption?
On rare occasions, such as when an adoption opportunity comes up suddenly or unexpectedly, adoptive parents may receive a child before they have arranged for coverage of medical or legal costs by signing a fee agreement or posting a retainer (deposit) with their attorney. If, after receiving the child, the adoptive couple fails to pay these costs, creditors may begin trying to collect from the birth mother. If such a situation occurs, the birth parent’s attorney may advise her to consider other options, such as keeping the child or looking for another couple, if things cannot be worked out with the adoptive couple. Most probate courts will require the adoptive parents to pay for and be responsible for all of the adoptive child’s medical bills as well as those of the birth mother out of their own pockets because the birth mother is not a dependent of the adoptive parents and would not, therefore, be covered by their insurance.
