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<p>A burst appendix is a life or death emergency. Even here, a hospital must provide life saving treatment in this instance, whether or not the patient has the means to pay, or whether or not they can contact the parents for permission.</p>
<p>That doesn’t answer your question, but this is not the same as a hospital performing a non essential procedure without parental permission. </p>
<p>In reading the OP’s posts, though, it sounds as though the parents may have consented anyway, due to the fact that a)they would want their daughter’s life saved, and b)apparently at the time, the believed the procedure would be covered by their own insurance.</p>
<p>Interesting dilemma. I would work two jobs before I would make/allow my daughter pay for a medical procedure that occurred when she was a minor child.</p>