Estate Planning, Medical Power of Attorney & Health Care Directives

A last will and testament is often the first thing people associate with estate planning.  However, estate planning typically involves more than simply determining who will get your assets or how to avoid estate taxes.  Your wishes regarding medical treatment are important for your well-being and to prevent undesired medical treatment that can negatively impact your estate planning.  To ensure your wishes are followed, it’s important to have an advance health care directive and a medical power of attorney.

Estate Planning & Advance Health Care Directives

Texas law permits you to create an advance health care directive where you decide what kinds of medical treatment you do and do not what under various circumstances.  An advance health care directive has both estate planning benefits as well as emotional benefits for your family.  On the estate planning side, medical decisions you make in an advance health care directive may save your estate significant expenses by preventing unwanted medical treatment.  On the family side, making medical decisions beforehand in an advance health care directive protects your family from difficult choices and feelings of guilt.

Estate Planning & Medical Power of Attorney

An advance health care directive doesn’t always provide answers in all situations, and thus, a medical power of attorney is also important.  A medical power of attorney designates someone with authority to make medical decisions on your behalf.  Your medical power of attorney takes effect when you are mentally incapable of making medical treatment decisions.  Typically, a spouse, family member, or close friend is designated as a medical power of attorney, and the medical power of attorney is limited by decisions you make in your advance health care directive.

Health care and estate planning is an important but difficult process for most people.  Our Austin law firm regularly counsels clients to help them achieve health care planning and estate planning goals.  Contact us today to ask how we can assist your health care and estate planning.

Call an Estate Planning Attorney in Austin,  Free Consultation!

512-651-3930

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Tags: WTE

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 11th, 2011 at 11:38 am and is filed under Estate Planning, Wills & Trusts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.