Everyone deserves to have their wishes honored about what care they do or do not want at the end of their lives. Advance directives are legal documents that let people express their future wishes for health care in a form providers can rely on. Unfortunately, the current advance directive law creates barriers that make it hard to execute these documents. These important documents must be witnessed by two people who can attest that they “personally know” the patient, and notaries are not allowed to validate them.
HB 1640 adds the option of allowing a notary to validate advance directives, and it allows witnesses to verify a patient’s identity by looking at personal identification, such as a driver’s license or passport. This gives patients more options to execute advance directives while maintaining important protections against fraud and abuse, helping to ensure patient care and wishes are aligned. Click here to read more. (Zosia Stanley)
House Judiciary Committee: Tuesday, February 14, 10 a.m.
