There are many small decisions that one makes that can mean the difference between a significantly good or bad outcome in the future. One of those decisions that are important to make is whether or not to choose health insurance. The time it takes to compare health insurance quotes more than pays for itself when a person becomes ill or has an accident in the future and needs financial assistance in paying for care. Another important decision to make is whether or not to establish advanced directives: a set of instructions given by an individual that specifies what action should be taken for his health in the event he is no longer able to make decisions for himself. It is a good idea for a person to have both health insurance and some form of advanced directives established before he needs to use them. Health insurance can have significant impact on the accessibility of advanced directives.

One way health insurance can bear an impact is through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA). Part of that act discusses the rights that a patient has to medical record privacy and who is authorized to access them. If a person's advanced medical record was written before 2001, he needs to get a directive with the appropriate HIPPA language. Otherwise, his health care agents may not be able to access his medical records and make informed decisions about his care. This is especially important when a person chooses non-family members as their advanced directive agents. People who are not related to a patient will have a very difficult time accessing medical records that do not expressly give them permission.

Another way that health insurance can impact if people choose to establish advanced directives lies in whether or not it will pay for end of life planning. Government representatives debate often about whether Medicare or other forms of health insurance should cover, for example, voluntary counseling to help recipients discuss and implement difficult choices that must be made in relation to a patient's advanced directive desires. This is significant because implementing a patient's advanced directive wishes can be costly and assessing health insurance quotes can be very time-consuming for advanced directive agents who often have a lot to handle when taking care of a person's end of life needs.

The degree of accessibility to end of life planning that health insurance provides for patients and families bears a significant impact on how likely they will be to use advanced directives as they plan for the end of a loved one's life.