New Hospital Visitation Regs Finalized

I was chatting today with another blogger (yes, over coffee) about the circumstances under which LGBTQ families are kept apart in hospitals. I mentioned the new federal regulations and realized I had failed to blog about them.

From the Human Rights Campaign website …

On Tuesday, federal regulations regarding patients’ hospital visitation rights will go into effect.  These new regulations require all hospitals participating in Medicaid and Medicare programs – virtually every hospital in the country – to permit patients to designate visitors of their choosing and prohibit discrimination in visitation based on a number of factors, including sexual orientation and gender identity.

What good news is this?  What I'm curious about is what happens what a patient's ability to designate visitors is impaired? 

The HRC has much more detail here.

This is a positive step forward.  Remember when UPMC Mercy was owned by the Catholic Church?  Do you think they would willingly have let me into ICU if Ledcat were hospitalized?  I was recently in the hospital for a few days and no one blinked when I listed my “partner” as my emergency contact.  The only awkward moment was when a doctor was asking me if I was a homosexual. I just looked at him and he moved on to another question. 

Still … there's no real equality and protection without marriage.  Don't forget that.  We need to push for the steps and we need to celebrate when they are achieved.  We have to be realistic and we have to recognize what is achievable in our individuals states and municipalities.  But we have to remember that without true and total equality, none of us will ever have a way to tidy up all the loose ends. 

 

sdf

************************************************

We need your help to save the blog.

For 18+ years,  snowflakes, social justice warriors, and the politically correct have built this blog.

Follow us on Twitter @Pghlesbian24 and Instagram @Pghlesbian

We need your ongoing support to maintain this archive and continue the work. Please consider becoming a patron of this blog with a recurring monthly donation or make a one-time donation.       This post and/or others may contain affiliate links. Your purchase through these links support our work. You are under no obligation to make a purchase.