Though in the minds of many people estate planning is a financial matter, there is a health care component to the process as well. The dialogue that we heard around the time that the health care reform bill was being voted on shed some light on the legal intricacies surrounding incapacitation and medical decisions. The way to protect yourself legally should you reach the point where you cannot make your own medical decisions is to include a durable medical power of attorney in your estate plan. … [Read more...] about The HIPAA & Advance Directives
Advance Health Care Directives
Health Care Proxies & Same Sex Couples
In the realm of estate planning same sex couples face a number of challenges because of the fact that their unions are not legally recognized federally or in most states. This impacts the financial aspects of estate planning in a number of ways, and we will be addressing some of these in future posts. But today we would like to highlight the legal instrument known as the health care proxy or medical power of attorney and the manner by which it can protect the interests of same sex couples. The … [Read more...] about Health Care Proxies & Same Sex Couples