It won't be long and we'll all be in a debtor's chain-gang.

In reality, if Mom can't pay, the adult children probably won't have to. I suspect we are being told only half the story here. The key word is probably "estranged". Why is an adult man estranged from his mother? Doesn't sound very good. And despite the fact that Don is standing in front of a modest looking home he probably has money up the wazoo. His Mother, on the other hand, probably doesn't get enough to make ends meet. Obviously, she has medical problems and not enough insurance to cover them or she wouldn't have a nursing home bill to begin with. The court does not look favorably apon well to do adult sons who refuse to take care of their poor mothers.

To me the question is: is it just (and truly legal) to force one independent person pay the debt of another? It seems okay that the debt can attach to her estate, but on what grounds may it transfer to another person who did not incur the debt?

These are grown independent people. It's not a question of "should he" but legally "must he"?

Yet another blessing brought to you by corrupt, gouging American commercial healthcare.

We don't have this problem in nations with socialized healthcare.