Although it may be uncomfortable to think about, it is important to let your loved ones and healthcare providers know about the treatment you do or do not want to receive should you face a life-threatening illness. You have the right to assure your wishes are followed through legal documents called advance directives. 

You do not need to be sick to create an advance directive. Having one before life-threatening conditions or health emergencies occur can help reduce confusion for you and your loved ones.

There are two types of advance directives:

Living Will

This legal document spells out how you want your care to be handled if you are no longer able to makes decisions for yourself. 

Your living will can include information on the use of dialysis and breathing machines, resuscitation efforts, feeding tubes and organ or tissue donation.

Health Care Power of Attorney

This document enables you to authorize someone to act as your agent to make decisions about your health care if you are unable to communicate your wishes for yourself.

You can appoint anyone you wish to have power of attorney privileges, including a relative, friend or lawyer.

To help ensure your wishes are met, you should:

• Give a copy of your advance directive to your primary care physician (PCP) and to the individual(s) you have named to make decisions for you in the event you cannot speak for yourself.
• Tell your Care Coordinator at Health Partners Plans about whether or not you have an advance directive. We can note it in our system with your permission.

Our Advance Directives Policy

Health Partners Plans cannot refuse or otherwise discriminate against you based on whether or not you have an advance directive. We have educated our health care management staff and our community partners about the importance of advance directives and the documents required to meet Pennsylvania law.

If you wish to file a complaint about Health Partners Plans’s Advance Directives policy, please call 1-888-477-9800 (TTY 1-877-454-8477) anytime.

For More Information

If you would like us to mail you standard advance directive forms or if you want more details, call 215-991-4271 (TTY 1-877-454-8477) or call your Care Coordinator.

To learn more about Advance Directives, and to download related documents, you can also visit the Pennsylvania Department of Aging and NHPCO websites.