Estate Planning Basics Attorney in Hopkins, Minnesota

Health Care Declarations

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In Minnesota, the Healthcare Declaration really has two parts. The first part allows someone to appoint a healthcare agency. It’s like a power of attorney for medical decisions. The second part of the Healthcare Declaration in Minnesota allows someone to put on paper what they want and what they don’t want as far as medical care if they’re unable to communicate for themselves. And you can execute the first part or the second part or both parts.

So the important thing if you execute the first part is to have someone you trust because you’re giving them a lot of power to make decisions for you if and when you can’t communicate yourself. If you execute the second part, it’s whatever is in your heart and mind. You want to put down on paper – if you feel strongly you do not want a certain medical procedure to be implemented if you can’t communicate, put that on paper. Conversely, if there is a medical procedure that you do want implemented if you can’t communicate, that should be on paper. This way there is no ambiguity.

Without a Healthcare Declaration, your family or physicians might make decisions on your behalf. Maybe these are decisions you would want to have made, maybe not. With a Healthcare Declaration, you are sort of forgoing the ambiguity and letting the world know, “This is what I want. This is what I don’t want.”

Minneapolis Estate Planning Attorney Keith Cambre, discusses health care declarations and what should be included.

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