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	Health > Control Over Health Care Decisions


	Explaining the Law and Providing Self-Help Information for Low-Income Iowans

There are 13 resources

Getting the Health Care Services You Need
Has your insurance company, Medicare or Medicaid denied you help? You don’t have to take no for an answer.
By: Iowa Legal Aid

Getting Medical Assistance
Many people need help paying for health care. Iowa has several programs that may help you.
By: Iowa Legal Aid

Getting Emergency Medical Care
Hospitals must treat you - even if you don’t have insurance - when you have an emergency condition or are a woman in active labor. Hospitals must treat your medical emergency until you become stable. The hospital may bill you later, but it cannot turn you away from emergency care.
By: Iowa Legal Aid

Additional Resources

Are Your Legal Affairs in Order?
Putting your legal affairs in order is important for a number of reasons. Some of the more important issues that Iowans, and especially older Iowans, should consider involve powers of attorney, living wills, and estate and Medicaid planning.
By: Legal Hotline for Older Iowans

Read this in: Bosnian / Bosanski

What Is a Living Will?
A living will is a written document authorizing health care providers to withhold or withdraw life sustaining procedures in certain cases. A life-sustaining procedure is any medical procedure, treatment or intervention which utilizes mechanical or artificial means to sustain, restore, or supplant a spontaneous vital function, and which serves only to prolong the dying process.
By: Legal Hotline for Older Iowans

Read this in: Bosnian / Bosanski

"Living Will" Form This link opens a PDF file in a new window. If you do not have an accessible Acrobat Reader, a link is provided at the bottom of this page.

This link opens a PDF file in a new window. If you do not have an accessible Acrobat Reader, a link is provided at the bottom of this page.

A form you can print out and use to prepare your own Declaration Relating to Use of Life-Sustaining Procedures or "Living Will."
By: Legal Hotline for Older Iowans

What is a "Durable Health Care Power of Attorney?"
A Durable Health Care Power of Attorney is a legal document. It authorizes a person to be your agent to make decisions about your health care if you are not able to make decisions for yourself.
By: Legal Hotline for Older Iowans

Read this in: Bosnian / Bosanski

"Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Decisions" Form This link opens a PDF file in a new window. If you do not have an accessible Acrobat Reader, a link is provided at the bottom of this page.

A form you can print out and use to prepare your own Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Decisions or "Medical Power of Attorney."
By: Legal Hotline for Older Iowans

Consumer’s tool kit for health care advance planning (Separate Website)
Here are worksheets to help you make good advance planning health decisions
By: American Bar Association

Do Not Resuscistate (DNR) Orders: What Are They and What's New?
People often worry about being revived when they are terminally ill and dying. Being revived can be painful and unwanted. If you are or become terminally ill, you should know about “Do-Not-Resuscitate” or “DNR” Orders.
By: Legal Hotline for Older Iowans

Substitute Decision-Making
Competent individuals have the right to make all sorts of decisions about their lives. Examples are the right to decide about getting health care, and what kind of care to get. What does it mean to be competent and who makes decisions for someone who is not competent?
By: Iowa Legal Aid

Common Legal Terms (Separate Website)
An online glossary of legal terms from A to W
By: Iowa Judicial Branch

Life and Death Decisions
Iowans have two simple ways to make their desires known in advance about medical treatment if they become incompentent: Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care.
By: Iowa Legal Aid


Adobe Acrobat Reader required. (If you are using a screen reader that does not support PDF format, copy the PDF link, and use the Access Adobe online form to convert this file to HMTL text.)

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