<prompt> Human: So here it goes: My mom went to visit my sister who does foster care for dogs until get adopted. My 70 year old mother was walking a pit bull on a leash when it saw a rabbit and ran after it. My mom didnt let go of the leash and she got pulled down and broke her elbow. She had to get plates and screws put in her elbow and arm. Anyway, soon after she had her emergency room visit, surgeries, outpatient care etc. they got the bill. I dont know the total amount but it said that they had to personally pay 15,000. My mom has Kaiser Perminante health insurance through the state of Colorado. She also has medicare. I looked up her insurance plan and it says that the maximum yearly out of pocket expense should be 3000. Instead of calling the insurance company to ask questions about the bill or anything like that, they took around 25,000 from their IRA and paid the bill. They were charged 35 tax for taking the money out of their IRA so around 10,000 went to taxes and 15,000 went to the insurance company. I told my mom that this doesnt sound right and they shouldnt take money out of their IRA to pay the bill. She said that shes Looking into it They think that they are going to get their money back. I think not. Does this bill sound right to you? What would have been the correct course of action in this situation? What do you think that they should do know? I wonder why Medicare didnt pay anything. Edit: They just got a new 6000 bill for a recent hospital stay for my dad and are thinking about paying it the same way.  <response>: In addition to the possible refund from the insurer that your parents are owed See other advice, I dont believe the tax is lost. Its a tax, paid to the government, for income received.I doubt your parents are in a top tax bracket, so they probably overpaid their taxes with that withdrawal. When they file taxes in 2019, make sure they include that 10k tax payment and 25k income. Theyll probably get some of the money back in a refund. 