Mark Glendon

Understanding Why You Should Assign Yourself a Health Care Proxy

Taking care of your health is important, but even the healthiest of people can suffer from unforeseen or emergency medical conditions, injuries, or accidents. Depending on the severity of the situation, you may find yourself incapacitated and unable to make decisions. During times like these, it pays to have a healthcare proxy in place.

What is a Healthcare Proxy?

A healthcare proxy is a legal document that assigns power to a person or entity to legally make healthcare decisions for you on your behalf in certain situations. The person or entity named in the proxy can only make medical decisions for you if you are unable to make decisions on your own due to incapacitation or cognitive disability.

Many people choose to designate a trusted friend or family member in a healthcare proxy document, but you could also assign this role to virtually anyone who qualifies and agrees to act on your behalf. It should be noted that a healthcare proxy is different than a power of attorney document in that your healthcare proxy representative can only make healthcare decisions for you while incapacitated. Someone with a power of attorney assignment is allowed to make financial decisions on your behalf.

Assigning a Local Proxy

Although having a healthcare proxy is important, you're going to want to partner with someone in your local area. Most states have specific laws on healthcare proxies, so it's also a good idea to work with an expert when drafting this document. For example, in the New York City area, you might look for an advisory health care proxy Long Island residents trust for creating proxy documents. You would also want to make sure you assign duties to a health care proxy Long Island courts will approve of.

In most cases, all that is required for someone to be assigned duties is soundness of mind, but again, different states have different requirements. You might also consider discussing your intentions with your health insurance company to make sure you do not violate any policies or regulations.

Author Resource:-

Mark writes often about estate planning. His articles may include topics like real estate closing attorney and business succession laws to help the people in needs. You can find his thoughts at elder law blog.