Under the Healthcare Privacy Laws, commonly known as HIPPA, medical providers are very limited in what information they may give out regarding a patient. If you do not have a Healthcare Power that includes HIPPA language, or a Healthcare Designation specific as to the HIPPA Laws, you may not get access to information regarding your own sick Mother.
The medical providers may give medical information to the spouse, but may not to the adult children or the adult children of a senior parent. Therefore you want to make sure that not only YOU have a Healthcare Power of Attorney or Healthcare Designations (commonly referred to as HIPPA’s) for yourself, but you make sure that those you are trying to help do also. You will need legal authority to assist others in their healthcare and financial situations.
As with all Estate Planning, you can’t do this once the crisis hits. Your Mother, adult child, sibling, or friend may not be conscious or legally competent to authorize medical treatment. Therefore as with all Estate Planning, it has to be done ahead of time prior to becoming sick, unconscious, incapacitated or passing on.
At the Law Firm of Steven Andrew Jackson, Attorney and Counsellor at Law, we have helped hundreds of families protect themselves and their loved ones, avoid Estate Taxes and Probate Costs, and keep their Estate Plans current with the law through The Customized Protective Estate Planning Solution™.