Helping your children in a medical emergency after they turn 18.

Planning for medical emergencies is important for your children after high school.

A parent’s worst nightmare is when a child has some kind of medical emergency. If a situation arises, the parents have the ability to have access to medical information and make important decisions regarding his or her treatment. As the child gets older, specifically when they turn 18, the parents’ role changes and the child now has the authority to make their decisions.

The age of majority in most states is the age of 18. This means, the parent can no longer get medical information nor make medical decisions for the child. This is due to the various laws in place such as the Privacy Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The laws are in place for a reason and that is protect the privacy of patients. However, there is that transition period for your child where they may still need you to make medical decisions for them such as their college years.