A newly introduced piece of federal legislation—referred to as the Big Beautiful Bill—proposes to reallocate over $1 trillion in Medicaid funding over the next decade. While the bill is still under review, the potential impact on seniors, caregivers, and families in East Tennessee could be significant.

What happens if an individual is incapacitated and he or she has not appointed a health care decision-making agent to act on his or her behalf? The Tennessee Health Care Decisions Act answers this question by allowing for a health care decision-maker (surrogate) to be designated.

For those in East Tennessee and beyond, the University of Tennessee’s Forensic Anthropology Center (UTK FAC) offers a respected program for individuals wishing to donate their remans upon death.