If you have not yet executed a Florida Designation of Health Care Surrogate, stop procrastinating and get this crucial planning in place now.  A Florida Designation of Health Care Surrogate is one of four essential documents that could save your financial future according to a CNBC article  https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/14/four-essential-documents-that-could-save-your-financial-life.html.

What is a Florida Designation of Health Care Surrogate?

A Florida Health Care Designation  is a legal document you use to give someone else authority to make medical decisions for you when you can no longer make them yourself.  This person, also known as an agent, can only exercise this power if your doctor says you are unable to make key decisions yourself.

Other Terms for Florida Designation of Health Care Surrogate

Depending on the state where you live, the Health Care Designation may be called something else. You may have seen this referred to as a medical power of attorney, health care power of attorney, an advance directive, advance health care directive, a durable power of attorney for health care, etc. There are many variations, but they all mean fundamentally the same thing.

Be aware that each state has their own laws about designations of health care surrogates, so it’s important to work with a qualified Florida estate planning attorney to ensure your decisions will be enforced through legally binding documents. Also, some states may not honor documents from other states, so even if you made these decisions and created documents in another state, it’s wise to review with a Florida estate planning attorney to ensure they are legally valid in Florida.

What Can My Medical Agent Do for Me?

Just like there are many different terms for the designation of health care surrogate, there also are different terms for the medical agent – this person may be referred to as an attorney-in-fact, a health proxy, or surrogate.

Some of the things a designation of health care surrogate authorizes your agent to decide for you:

• Which doctors or facilities to work with and whether to change
• Give consent for additional testing or treatment
• How aggressively to treat
• Whether to disconnect life support

We are ready to help walk you through these decisions, understand the ramifications of your choices, and memorialize your plans in binding legal documents. We are currently offering no-contact initial conferences remotely if you prefer. Book a call now and let us help you make the right choices for yourself and your loved ones.

Reference: CNBC (August 14, 2019) Four Essential Documents That Could Save your Financial Life