Does Your College Student Have a HIPAA Authorization and Health Care Proxy?

Why not ask them at Thanksgiving dinner? They will probably look at you as if you're from Mars! All kidding aside, it is very important that young people over age 18, whether living at home or away, have a healthcare proxy and HIPAA authorization document in place. Signing these documents should be on the "Preparing for College" checklist, alongside opening a bank account, buying linens for the dorm room, picking up the approved laptop etc. etc.

First some background.

Technically, once a person turns age 18, their healthcare information becomes protected under a federal law called the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Even a parent is not authorized to receive a child's healthcare information unless the child has signed a document called a HIPAA authorization which authorizes this disclosure. When a child goes off to college, he or she will often be asked to sign a HIPAA authorization for the college healthcare system. However, this document may not be written so as to apply to off-campus healthcare providers.

The solution.

The solution is to have your child or grandchild sign a general HIPAA authorization that applies wherever presented. Along with this, he or she should also sign a "Health Care Proxy" which authorizes a designated person to make medical decisions on his or her behalf (this applies only if he or she is incapable of communicating a decision). In most cases, a parent or parents are named on these documents. It is also a good idea to carry a wallet card which gives the contact information for the health care proxy holders.