Lamar Odom To Move To Live-In Rehab For Brain Damage: Khloe Kardashian Talks Progress, But Who Pays Millions In Medical Bills?


Lamar Odom has been fighting for a physical and mental recovery since October when he was found unconscious in a brothel after an overdose. Although they were divorcing, the process was not finalized, making Khloe Kardashian his legal wife. When she rushed to his side, remaining with him through his weeks of hospitalization, Kardashian turned into the medical adviser for Lamar. And it is in that position for Odom that she remains, having put the divorce on hold after she recognized the brain damage and long road to recovery. After 12 strokes, Lamar continues to have problems walking on his own, speaking, and even remembering, with memory loss so severe he sometimes cannot even recall his own name, the Inquisitr reported.

Since being airlifted from a hospital in Las Vegas, where he was initially moved after that terrifying discovery of his unconscious body in a brothel, Odom has remained at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. But now a positive sign of progress comes as a source told People Lamar will be discharged and move into a live-in rehabilitation facility within the next several days.

Former NBA player Lamar Odom will move to rehab.
Former NBA player Lamar Odom will move to rehab. [Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]
“The plan is for him to move in the next few days,” shared that source. “At the center, Lamar will continue to receive amazing therapy. He still has many challenges but is making progress. He is a fighter!”

However, the estranged husband of Kardashian continues to have severe medical issues. At 36, Odom is experiencing kidney damage, problems with his speech, and cognitive impairment. But despite those health problems, Lamar still is dramatically better than he was in a four-day coma from the drug mixture that physicians detected in his body, including opiates and cocaine.

And amid all those rumors that the reality TV star is pulling away from Odom, she made her attitude clear about her decision to continue to support him, showing it in visits to the hospital and even leaving her family to celebrate holidays with him.

“There is a very long road ahead of [Lamar],” Kardashian told People. “He has to walk that road by himself, and, most importantly, he has to want to walk that road. I will be there supporting him every step of the way.”

Lamar Odom poses in happier times.
Lamar Odom poses in happier times. [Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]
But when it comes to detailing what Odom has achieved in his fight to live and his views on what lies ahead, the 31-year-old reality TV star of Keeping Up with the Kardashians hesitated to go into detail at a recent publicity appearance, reported ABC News.

In her attitude, the real story of recovery belongs to Lamar and is not hers to reveal.

“He’s doing amazing, and I’m so proud of the strength that he has had to fight that battle,” summed up the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star.

Who Pays Millions In Medical Bills For Lamar Odom?

As for what her future holds with regard to Lamar, it may eventually come to the question of when to finalize that divorce in order to move on with her own life as well as those mounting medical bills, opening up the door to the question of who will pay, reported Entertainment Tonight.

ET previously reported that Kardashian called off her divorce from Odom on October 21, which raises the question: Because she’s still married to the former Los Angeles Lakers standout, will the 31-year-old reality TV star be held liable for some, if not all, of these significant healthcare costs?

Lamar Odom is only part of the way on a long road to recovery.
Lamar Odom is only part of the way on a long road to recovery. [Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]
Ryan Stearns, a certified family law specialist from the Stearns Kim & Stearns law firm, revealed to ET the legal ramifications of the unusual situation.

“Since [Khloe and Lamar are] still married and these bills relating to his treatment are [considered] debt, they are going to be presumed as a family obligation,” Stearns explained. “However, there are some [legal] exceptions… which provide that debts incurred while married, but for non-necessaries of life, should be the separate responsibility of the spouse that incurs the debt.”

Moreover, Stearns added that if he had the role of Khloe’s representative and was aware that she did plan to go through with the divorce, he would use the knowledge of what caused the brain damage and resulting medical bills against Odom.

“If I were representing Khloe, and [knew that] later she was going to divorce Lamar, I would argue that he’s going through this treatment as a consequence of his ‘whoring’ around,'” Stearns stated. “Namely, that he developed these conditions as a result of nothing to do with their marriage, entirely separate. Then it would be up to the court to determine whether the debts are going to be his separate responsibility.”

As to how high those medical bills could run, a health care costs specialist told ET that with the estimated timeline of two years to fully recover, it’s extreme.

“[I]f they’re talking about a time frame of a year and a half to two years, and trying to manage his new level of abilities, [the bill] certainly could run in the millions,” added Shana Alex Charles, Assistant Professor at the Department of Health Science at California State University, Fullerton.

[Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images For AXE]

Share this article: Lamar Odom To Move To Live-In Rehab For Brain Damage: Khloe Kardashian Talks Progress, But Who Pays Millions In Medical Bills?
More from Inquisitr