Eido Walny, founder of Walny Legal Group, an estate planning and asset protection law firm based in Milwaukee, was featured in a HuffPost article titled “Here’s Exactly What Having A ‘Healthcare Proxy’ Means — And Why It’s Extremely Important To Have One.” The article examines costly mistakes people make with healthcare proxies and medical powers of attorney.
Walny emphasized that the biggest mistake is not having any healthcare proxy at all. “Anyone over the age of 18, the age at which certain medical and privacy rights vest, should have health directives in place,” Walny explained. “If an emergency occurs, whether you are 18 or 81 years old, these directives will guide your care.”
The article highlighted several critical mistakes people make with healthcare proxies:
Not Having a Legitimate Document
Without properly executed documents, healthcare providers often face competing voices from family members. Verbal promises, unsigned forms, or improperly witnessed documents create legal gray areas that hospitals may refuse to rely on, leading to expensive court proceedings.
Making Documents Impossible to Find
Unlike other estate documents administered by judges, lawyers, or bankers, health directives are executed by doctors and healthcare providers who need immediate access. Walny stressed the importance of distribution: “It is important to disseminate the health directives to your primary physician, local hospital, and at least the people you name as agents. The document does no one any good when it is needed but cannot be located or is locked in a safe.”
Never Updating Healthcare Proxies
Walny emphasized that healthcare directives require regular updates. “Like all estate planning documents, health directives are not ‘set it and forget it’ rotisserie ovens. They are evolving documents that require updating. I recommend an update about every five years. The update is a good time to check if directions still reflect current wishes, whether agents and their contact information are still current, and whether the laws have changed.”
Personal Experience
Walny shared a powerful personal example demonstrating the value of healthcare proxies. Last year, his 19-year-old son suffered a traumatic brain injury from an accident. “His healthcare power of attorney made a huge difference for our family,” Walny said.
When his son woke from a coma attempting to leave the hospital, “The medical staff declared him incapacitated, activated his health directives, and took his decision-making powers out of his hands and placed them into the hands of his mother. Without a shadow of a doubt, that maneuver saved us heartache, time and money, and directly contributed to his recovery.”
The article reinforces that having a clear medical power of attorney is one of the most important decisions people can make to help themselves and their families during medical emergencies.
Full article available at:
HuffPost – Here’s Exactly What Having A ‘Healthcare Proxy’ Means — And Why It’s Extremely Important To Have One
By Monica Torres | May 18, 2026