Gay couples to be allowed visitation...

[ConcKahuna]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100416/ap_on_bi_ge/us_obama_hospital_patients

Having a partner with leukemia, this is an issue I've come face to face with several times. I'm EXTREMELY happy about this news!

 

[OrlandoMike]

I heard about this on the Radio on the way home...does this go into law immediately?

 

[Ericadawn]

That's the way I understood it, that it would be an immediate mandate.

 

[rpmdfw]

This is great news.

I literally got teary-eyed when I read about it last night.

 

[C&G'sMama]

Alleluia!!!

 

[NHdisneylover]

Now this is a step in the right direction--such wonderful news.

 

[safetymom]

This is wonderful news!

 

[MassJester]

Very welcome news, and long overdue.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

About damn time.

 

[BYC]

How is this different than the law that is in place right now? From what I have read, any person can sign a legal document to allow any other person to have visitation or make healthcare decisions for any other person. This has never excluded gays. It is the same for heterosexual partners that are not married. They must also get legal permission for this. What is different now? What can a gay partner do now that they could not do before? They still have to get legal permission from the hospitalized person.

 

[C&G'sMama]

How is this different than the law that is in place right now? From what I have read, any person can sign a legal document to allow any other person to have visitation or make healthcare decisions for any other person. This has never excluded gays. It is the same for heterosexual partners that are not married. They must also get legal permission for this. What is different now? What can a gay partner do now that they could not do before? They still have to get legal permission from the hospitalized person.

Because too often the legal documents are ignored by those that don't want to let same sex partners in. This is law is saying these documents have to be respected. Unfortunately it happens more often than people know.

 

[rpmdfw]

How is this different than the law that is in place right now? From what I have read, any person can sign a legal document to allow any other person to have visitation or make healthcare decisions for any other person. This has never excluded gays. It is the same for heterosexual partners that are not married. They must also get legal permission for this. What is different now? What can a gay partner do now that they could not do before? They still have to get legal permission from the hospitalized person.

There was a high profile case in South Florida recently where the couple (two women) had all of their documentation in order, and as one partner lay dying, her partner and their children were denied visitation because "Florida is an anti-gay state". They didn't get to say good-by to their wife and mother even though they had done their homework and gotten all the legal protections available to them. Presumably this mandate would end that kind of discrimination.

It's not enough, of course. Only full marriage equality will actually fix the numerous inequalities that exist. But this is a step in the right direction.

 

[taylor3297]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100416/ap_on_bi_ge/us_obama_hospital_patients

Having a partner with leukemia, this is an issue I've come face to face with several times. I'm EXTREMELY happy about this news!

Your partner can also give you medical power of attorney so you have the right to deal with the medical issues.

 

[BYC]

Because too often the legal documents are ignored by those that don't want to let same sex partners in. This is law is saying these documents have to be respected. Unfortunately it happens more often than people know.

So other than requiring the legal documents to be enforced, this law is no different than what is in place now? So really, it is no different at all. Because all legal documents should be enforced, without any specification to race, sex, etc. The problem then was with the few that would reject a legal wish (does anyone actually know anyone who had legal rights to visit and make health care (proxy) decisions, and was rejected?) Some people put someone other than their legal wife or husband as their proxy...perhaps their parent of best friend or lawyer, whatever....and that has to be honored. I am just not seeing what is different today than yesterday.

 

[BYC]

Your partner can also give you medical power of attorney so you have the right to deal with the medical issues.

But your partner could always do that. This is nothing new. The problem was with an unmarried(gay or straight) partner wanting to make decisions without that legal document. I know many gays couples that have their partner as their healthcare proxy, and this is nothing new.

 

[zeitzeuge]

Despite all the legal paperwork that can be filled out, most of the time in many states those documents are ignored. Families of the person in the hospital can come in and deny visitation to the person's partner. The list goes on and on. Just because there's "legal means" to allow something, doesn't mean that all hospitals follow the rules. This will hopefully insure that they will. Otherwise, the government will halt medicare and medicaid funding to those hospitals unless they comply.

One more step in the right direction.

I haven't had this happen to me since the early 90's. Back when my file had a big red X on the front as a warning, and everyone was still required to wear gloves/masks to come visit someone with HIV. I wasn't allowed anyone to come visit me in the hospital except actual family. No friends, no partner. How times have changed....

 

[BYC]

There was a high profile case in South Florida recently where the couple (two women) had all of their documentation in order, and as one partner lay dying, her partner and their children were denied visitation because "Florida is an anti-gay state". They didn't get to say good-by to their wife and mother even though they had done their homework and gotten all the legal protections available to them. Presumably this mandate would end that kind of discrimination.

It's not enough, of course. Only full marriage equality will actually fix the numerous inequalities that exist. But this is a step in the right direction.

This is very sad if it is true. But your recap has its flaws. So when this woman and her children asked to visit her dying partner, she was stopped at the door and told "Florida is an anti-gay state"? I had a dying friend who was only a friend, and not a relative, and I was not turned away from visiting her, or from staying with her as she died. Something just doesn't seem right with this story. Did the parents of the dying woman refuse to let them in?? Or did the hospital decide on their own not to let them in?
I agree that full marriage equality for gays is absolutely way past due. But I don't think it should be the thing that fixes this problem. There are many people, gay and straight, that want their partner (or friend, or lawyer, or anybody) to be their proxy or have power of attorney, and they should not have to be married to have that. And as the law stands, they don't have to be married. That is why this announcement from Obama confuses me. Nothing is different than the laws in place now.

 

[Sphyrna]

This is a great step!! True, it doesn't really differ much from how things are now. But I think the key is that the govt can withhold funding if they don't comply. Money talks, and hopefully this new punishment of "hitting them where it hurts" will deter hospitals from ignoring these legal documents.

 

[HelenParr]

It's a good start on ending unnecessary discrimination. And it is true that it will not change any state laws on advance directives or similar laws. But it will put some teeth into the existing federal rules for hospitals that take Medicare or Medicaid.

At the risk sounding too technical, it will actually be a change to what's known as the Conditions of Participation for hospitals that receive Medicare or Medicaid. These Conditions exist now, and cover all sorts of things. The patient rights section now is too loose and too broad. The rule change announced by the President will likely be a rework of the patient rights section of these CoPs, with the result being that a hospital must comply if it wants to be in the Medicare or Medicaid program. Most hospitals could not afford to stay open without Medicare or Medicaid, so this will get their undivided attention (at least at first). That's a good thing. The rule isn't written yet, and there are all sorts of technical processes required before it is made final.

Boring legal stuff over, you may return to your normal programming...

 

[C&G'sMama]

This is very sad if it is true. But your recap has its flaws. So when this woman and her children asked to visit her dying partner, she was stopped at the door and told "Florida is an anti-gay state"? I had a dying friend who was only a friend, and not a relative, and I was not turned away from visiting her, or from staying with her as she died. Something just doesn't seem right with this story. Did the parents of the dying woman refuse to let them in?? Or did the hospital decide on their own not to let them in?
I agree that full marriage equality for gays is absolutely way past due. But I don't think it should be the thing that fixes this problem. There are many people, gay and straight, that want their partner (or friend, or lawyer, or anybody) to be their proxy or have power of attorney, and they should not have to be married to have that. And as the law stands, they don't have to be married. That is why this announcement from Obama confuses me. Nothing is different than the laws in place now.

Whether you choose to believe it happened or not it did. Was I there? No. But does it surprise me? No. It would be great if everyone was allowed in as you were, but the truth is, they're not. Not sure why you are trying to start controversy. And I agree with Rob, until we have marriage equality, not much will change.

But I'll take this if it's help folks like Conck be able to stay if there is ever a problem. Or me for that matter if one of us gets sick while in Disney. We're in New York and have never had a problem here (except 1 stupid nurse when DD was sick as an infant. The nurse was wearing a WWJD bracelet and threw a diaper at me when I asked for assistance.) I don't think Jesus would throw a diaper at a new mom. This wasn't our only encounter with this nurse and it was obvious she didn't like the lesbians.