One of the most important pieces of the recently enacted “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” is the “CLASS Act“, which stands for the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports program. Authored by the late Senator Ted Kennedy and others, it creates — for the very first time — a long term care insurance plan to help… Read More »
Posts Categorized: Health Care
Ensure Your Wishes for Medical Treatment are Followed: Share Them With Your Doctor
This time of year often involves spring cleaning for many families: reorganizing the closets, clearing the weeds and brush from the yard, and getting rid of all those boxes in the garage or basement. Spring seems to be a time to take stock and start fresh… at least in the home. But what about with… Read More »
A “Graying Trend” In Caregiving
What will you be doing when you’re 73? If you think you will have earned the right to have someone take care of you, think again; you may end up serving as a caregiver for someone else. A recent article in the New York Times describes a new trend in caregiving: the elderly are being… Read More »
One More BIG Reason to Have a Health Care Directive
Do you have a health care directive? If not, the Los Angeles Times has just given you one more reason to create one: Advance directives for end-of-life care result in preferred treatment. That’s right, according to the recent article; those people who have recorded their wishes for end-of-life treatment have their wishes followed by agents… Read More »
Will You Be Able To Afford Old Age?
Are you ready for the financial implications that come with growing older? As the average American lifespan grows longer the cost of aging becomes more and more prohibitive. A recent segment on NBC’s The Today Show takes a close look at long-term care and the price individuals and couples are required to pay as age… Read More »
What Does the New Healthcare Legislation Mean for YOU?
Everybody knows the latest big news: President Obama’s health care reform bill was finally approved by the senate—for better or worse—and although politicians may still be arguing the benefits and evils of the bill across party lines, most Americans are asking one simple question: What does this legislation mean for me? CNN Health attempts to… Read More »
Facing the BIG Picture
We frequently urge you here on our blog to create the documents necessary to protect yourself in case of emergency, and to ensure that your family and loved ones know your wishes for health care if you are ever unable to make those decisions yourself. But a recent article on MSNBC reminds us that creating… Read More »
The Question of Competence
One of the things estate planning attorneys have to deal with in their line of work (most often with elderly clients) is the question of whether or not a client is competent to sign their legal documents. Every principal (or person executing the documents) must be competent, and most attorneys—most people—can make this assessment based… Read More »
What Does “Do Not Resuscitate” Mean to You?
Everybody seems to know (from popular TV shows, if nothing else) that DNR means “Do Not Resuscitate”, but do you know what “Do Not Resuscitate” means in your own personal healthcare directive or living will? Too often, when talking with clients about the healthcare documents in their estate plans, they don’t know the extent of… Read More »