<prompt> Human: Like the title mentioned, my girlfriends father was in an accident and was in the ICU for about 5 days at a major hospital in the U.S.. Shes young and she and I dont make a whole lot of money, so were wondering what some of our options are. She is next of kin and her father wasnt married. I guess my questions are:- Who bears the burden of the hospital bills. I would assume theyre well north of 100K as this was head trauma and multiple surgeries were done. Is there financial aid available or are these bills somehow waived?- What do we need to know about planning for a funeral and are there options to keep it cheap?Any help advice is appreciated. Thank you...update: thank you for the help everyone. From the support from the community, we were able to cover the funeral costs. I appreciate all the advice. It was more than helpful and Ive reviewed every comment. Cant thank you all enough!Assistant: His estate is on the hook for the bills, if he died broke then the bills basically died with him. Usually cremation and a small get together at a home is the cheapest Human: Isnt his estate also her estate? Maybe im misunderstanding, but i thought that burden was passed down?  <response>: No. She could be a beneficiary of the estate if there were assets to be passed on. Not the case if debt eats it all up. 