Replace wooden load bearing post with a galvanic post?

Hey guys. I have an ugly wooden post in the corner of my alfresco that is holding up a whole room on the second floor. I wanted to cover it with brick so it matches the facade of the house better but I'm concerned since it would mean that termites and moisture could wreak havoc on the crucial post. I also wouldn't be able to inspect it so I was told that I should replace it with a galvanic post to avoid these issues. My question is whether this is truly required and if someone could give me an idea of how much something like this would cost?