Health Care Proxies Are Going to Become More Important in Oklahoma

Appointing a Health Care Proxy is going to become more important going forward in Oklahoma.

It has always been very important. An Advance Directive for Healthcare (the document that names a Health Care Proxy) has always been one of the foundational documents essential for a discussion of estate planning.

Why it will become more important moving ahead is due to recent changes in Oklahoma law. Oklahoma recently eliminated the ability to execute a Durable Power of Attorney granting others the power to make healthcare decisions for you, if you could not. Some have labeled this the elimination of the Oklahoma Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare.

This is a major change in estate planning and law in general in Oklahoma. This will affect almost everyone in society – from those concerned about their healthcare and aging issues (which is almost everyone) to healthcare providers (hospitals, nursing homes, clinics of all types) to those who work with clients who could face these issues (attorneys, accountants, financial planners).

One of the most important responses to this new law is to make sure you have a person titled a Health Care Proxy named in a document titled an Advance Directive for Healthcare under the Oklahoma Advance Directive Act. And of course, a Durable Power of Attorney will remain an important document, it will just look different. Coordination of the two document has always been important and will only grow in importance going forward.

Due to these recent changes, future blog posts will attempt to break down some of these issues further.