Medicare recognizes the importance of end-of-life planning and what you’d like your future care to look like. Its advance care planning benefit is part of your annual wellness appointment.
During your annual wellness appointment, you can discuss with your healthcare team the types of care you’d like in the future and who could be part of your care decisions.
Discussing these options sooner rather than later can ensure you note your care wishes and avoid unwanted treatment, procedures, or medications.
Medicare includes coverage for a benefit called advance care planning. This is the same as end-of-life planning and includes all your future care wishes.
You can complete an advance directive as part of the advance care planning. This important and legally binding document records your wishes, especially if you can’t make decisions for yourself.
You can also appoint a healthcare proxy and collect all the information you need to make informed decisions about palliative and hospice care.
End-of-life planning with Medicare allows you to consider and discuss important healthcare matters that could arise with age. You can schedule an end-of-life planning discussion during your annual wellness appointment.
With Medicare’s advance care planning, you can:
- Document your wishes for future medical care: This may include anything from treatments you’re willing or unwilling to try, resuscitation wishes, or feeding tube wishes.
- Assign a healthcare proxy or power of attorney: Here, you can name one or more trusted people you’d be happy with making healthcare decisions on your behalf. For example, you can name a spouse or an adult child as your healthcare proxy. If you’re unable to speak for yourself due to illness or injury, they can ensure doctors follow your healthcare wishes and make other healthcare decisions on your behalf.
- Openly discuss care options: You and your healthcare team can discuss palliative and hospice care and how you’d like your team to treat you.
You can change your wishes at any time. In fact, it’s important to review your end-of-life care documents periodically and update them if your wishes or circumstances change.
You may also consider setting up an
Advance directives
You can set up an advance directive as part of your advance care planning. There are two parts to an advance directive:
- Naming a proxy: You name a healthcare proxy or power of attorney that you trust to make decisions about your health if you can’t do so.
- Specifying a living will: A
living will describes the treatment you want in life threatening situations, such as dialysis for kidney failure, breathing machines, resuscitation, and feeding tubes. It also lets you specify whether you want to be an organ or tissue donor.
The rules surrounding advance directives can vary by state, and a legal or healthcare professional can advise on the rules that apply to you and help you prepare the required documents.
If you’re setting up an advance directive, it’s a legally binding document.
Ensure your wishes are clear to your family and anyone involved in your healthcare.
You may also need to make some other considerations:
State-specific requirements
States can have differing rules and laws regarding advance directives.
Research and follow state-specific legal requirements, and review these requirements if you move states.
Valid documentation
Appropriately record, sign, and provide a witness for your advance directives in line with state laws.
If you require witnesses, try not to involve them in your healthcare or name them as a healthcare proxy.
Being specific
Advance directives should plainly outline your healthcare choices, including what type of care you’d like to receive, any care you’re specifically refusing, and whether there are any specific medical situations in which you’d like other rules to apply.
Being as specific as possible helps ensure your healthcare team and family members understand and follow your care plans.
Appointing a healthcare proxy
Choose someone you trust to be your healthcare proxy or power of attorney. Ensure that they understand, honor, and respect your care choices completely.
Reviews and updates
Your circumstances, health conditions, or personal beliefs may change over time, so keeping your healthcare documents up to date and periodically reviewing your advance directives can help to ensure they meet your current needs.
Consulting with legal and healthcare professionals can guide you on the legal aspects of advance care planning.
Here are some common questions and answers around end-of-life care.
It may be great to start thinking about end-of-life planning as soon as you become eligible for Medicare, which is typically at 65 years old.
This ensures you have plenty of time to consider all of your healthcare options and make informed decisions about the future of your care.
You can schedule end-of-life planning discussions by asking your healthcare team to schedule a conversation during your Medicare annual wellness appointment.
During an end-of-life planning appointment, you may typically discuss:
- documentation of your healthcare preferences
- designation of a healthcare proxy or power of attorney
- palliative and hospice care options
- concerns you may have about future medical interventions
Medicare covers end-of-life planning discussions as part of your yearly wellness appointment.
You may pay no out-of-pocket costs toward an annual wellness appointment, including the Original Medicare Part B deductible, which may not apply as long as the doctor or healthcare professional accepts Medicare.
Medicare covers end-of-life planning under its advance care planning benefit. You can discuss advance care planning during your annual wellness appointment.
Your state may have specific rules regarding what constitutes a legally binding advance directive document, so it’s a good idea to discuss your needs with a legal or healthcare professional.
When choosing a healthcare proxy or power of attorney, choose someone you trust so you can ensure healthcare professionals can honor your wishes.