May is graduation month. (Congratulations, class of 2018!) Perhaps one of your children graduated from high school and is fledging the nest. Whether they are off to college or to some other great adventure, there are a few documents you should make sure your child completes before leaving home. (And if they've already left, call them and have them get on these tasks right away! Or next time they are home for a visit!) 1. Health Care Power of Attorney Now that your child is over 18, in the ...
Good News On The Medicare Front
A bipartisan bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate that would create a new Medicare benefit known as “planning services.” Patients with an advanced or terminal illness who are on Medicare would be allowed to work with an interdisciplinary team to help the patient figure out his or her wishes for future treatment and to articulate those wishes in the form of an advanced directive. The doctors on that team can be reimbursed by Medicare for this service. (Right now, no such provision ...
Estate Planning: Not Just For Elders And The Rich
I’ve been thinking about common myths about the estate planning process (creation of wills, powers of attorney, living wills, trusts, and the like), and I’ll be blogging about those myths for the next few entries. The first myth I want to tackle is that estate planning is only for the wealthy or the elderly. It is true that estate planning for rich people is somewhat different than estate planning for folks of more modest means. However, estate planning is mostly about making sure you, ...
Living Wills, Powers Of Attorney, And You
For many people, especially young adults, the thought of getting a will is a foreign concept. Many people assume they don’t need one unless they are rich, have kids, etc. I will leave the subject of a will for another post, but I want to make the case that everyone, including young adults, need to have a living will and a durable power of attorney for health care. A what what with a what what? A living will (which confusingly has nothing to do with a “will”) is simply a document in ...
