The New York Health Care Proxy Law lets you choose a trusted person, like a spouse or child, to make health care decisions when you can't. The agent communicates your wishes to health care providers as if you were speaking. They can adjust instructions as your condition changes. You determine the agent's authority and can include organ donation preferences. Medical providers must follow the agent's instructions if presented with a valid health care proxy. Successor agents can be designated if needed.

What Kinds of Decisions Can Your Agent Make?

Your agent under a health care proxy can make all health care decisions on your behalf that you could have made yourself. This includes decisions about treatments, whether to receive or withhold them, how they should be administered, and when they should cease. You can also grant your agent the authority to make decisions regarding artificial nutrition and hydration. However, it's important to note that a health care proxy does not grant the agent the power to make non-health related decisions, such as financial matters.

What is the Difference Between a Health Care Proxy and a Living Will?

A living will is a document that contains specific instructions about certain health care decisions. It informs your agent of your wishes and advises them on the decisions you would like them to make. Unlike a living will, a health care proxy doesn't require you to anticipate various situations in advance; instead, it allows your agent to make decisions based on your wishes at the time they arise.

What Should Be Done With a Health Care Proxy After it is Signed?

Make multiple copies of your advance directive and distribute them to your doctor, health care providers, agent(s), and close family members. It is wise to keep a copy in an easily accessible place along with your other important estate documents. Remember to bring a copy with you if you are admitted to the hospital, even for minor surgery.

How Can a Health Care Proxy Be Revoked?

To revoke a health care proxy in New York, the principal can inform the agent verbally or in writing about the revocation. Creating a new health care proxy automatically revokes the previous document. If a spouse is listed as the agent, their authority is automatically revoked upon divorce or legal separation, unless stated otherwise in the document.

In summary, the New York health care proxy is a crucial document that allows individuals to make important decisions about their health care.