I'm sorry for your loss and what you are going through.

This is not unique to UVMMC. This is a nationwide issue that shouldn't be an issue in the first place and wouldn't be with a single payer system. Also this particular scenario has a lot of legal nuance that cannot really be portrayed well here.

So again I feel for you and what you're going through, but I don't agree with placing the blame for this issue on the UVMMC billing department. They are telling you what they can/have to do from their one tiny piece of this absurdly complex puzzle.

You need an estate lawyer. End of story.