Why Turning 18 Changes Everything in a Medical Crisis

What You’ll Learn in This Episode What really changes when your child turns 18. Being Mom or Dad no longer necessarily means you’re entitled to healthcare information or automatically have authority to make medical decisions. Why a HIPAA authorization matters. Once your child is an adult, their medical information belongs to them, even if they’re still on your health insurance and you’re paying the bills. A HIPAA authorization lets them decide who can receive that information. What a healthcare power of attorney actually does. Access to information and authority to make decisions are two different things. A healthcare POA lets your adult child choose who can make healthcare decisions if they’re unable to make those decisions themselves. Why naming an agent isn’t enough. Your child can give you authority to make a decision but would you know what they wanted you to decide? How a healthcare advance directive helps. An advance directive allows your child to document wishes involving serious illness and end-of-life care, including preferences about quality of life and treatments such as CPR, life support, and tube feeding. The conversation to have with your 18-year-old. Instead of saying, “Sign these so I can still help you,” start with whom they trust. And consider going first by sharing the decisions you’ve made in your own healthcare documents. What to consider when your child goes to college out of state. State laws vary, so consider whether completing forms for the state where your child attends school could make things easier for healthcare providers in an emergency. What happens if there’s no healthcare power of attorney. Some states have backup rules. In Tennessee, for example, a healthcare provider may have to identify a surrogate—and potentially sort through competing family relationships and opinions in the process. Why this is really about autonomy, not parental control. Turning 18 gives your child an opportunity to decide who receives their healthcare information, who speaks for them, and what that person should know about their wishes. Resources & Links Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YEW3jlgLoW0 Episode 22: What Every Parent Needs to Know When Their Child Turns 18: https://www.deathreadiness.com/podcast/episode-22-what-every-parent-needs-to-know-when-their-child-turns-18 Episode 23: What Happens When a Pregnant Woman is Declared Brain Dead?: https://www.deathreadiness.com/podcast/episode-23-what-happens-when-a-pregnant-woman-is-declared-brain-dead Tennessee advance directive: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/hfc/documents/Advance_Directive_for_Health_Care.pdf State-specific healthcare forms: https://www.caringinfo.org/planning/advance-directives/by-state/ Connect with Jill: Website: DeathReadiness.com Email: [email protected] Learn more about Jill’s solutions Subscribe to the Death Readiness Dispatch! Ask a question for Tuesday Triage Did you enjoy this episode? Share it with someone you care about. This podcast provides estate planning guidance for women and discusses real, practical issues, from caregiving, pre-planning a funeral, how to avoid probate using beneficiary designations, planning for individuals with special needs (and special needs trusts), whether you need a professional fiduciary (trustee or executor), how the estate tax works and how to preserve your legacy. Tuesday Triage episodes answer questions from listeners like you, from powers of attorney, healthcare advance directives (and whether they work when you’re pregnant), what a Last Will and Testament really is, whether you need a trust, how Medicaid works and how to have senior and elder care conversations and how to care for aging parents. Disclaimer: This podcast and all related content are for educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is established here. Use of this information without careful analysis and review by your attorney, CPA, and/or financial advisor may cause serious adverse consequences. For legal guidance tailored to your unique situation, consult with a licensed attorney in your state.