Posted on 04/15/2010 9:00:23 PM PDT by LouAvul
President Obama on Thursday signed a memorandum requiring hospitals to allow gays and lesbians to have non-family visitors and to grant their partners medical power of attorney.
The president ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to prohibit discrimination in hospital visitation. The memo is scheduled to be made public Friday morning, according to an administration official and another source familiar with the White House decision.
An official said the new rule will affect any hospital that receives Medicare or Medicaid funding.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Yeah, and silly me. I thought living wills could establish power-of-attorney and end-of-life calls.
Yes, but how is the hospital supposed to determine the committed relationship in the case one of the partners is comatose? Upon what proof do they rely. This is easily solved by a written POA executed by the parties involved..
stupid..you cant legislate relationships...duh
It would be Congress that would have the authority to hang the power of the purse over the heads of these hospitals. Normally. But with the cracker jack box that is Bummercare, who knows what it sayeth.
How much power does a memorandum have? Also, what hospital stops non-family members from visiting or staying with loved ones? I’ve stayed with friends before (no family in the state). Obama is just grandstanding again.
“I don’t disagree with this. People in a committed relationship should be able to visit their loved ones in the hospital. Obama actually took one of the bigger arguments for gay marriage off the table.”
I’m sure that’s the point...personally, I don’t give a rat’s ass what this idiot does, as long as it is lawful, because it can be undone. I doubt he has the authority and it is a stunt. Politics by stunt, dividing the country (as this SURELY will) and revving up the leftists base by fueling a fire is the community organizer’s stock in trade. I do not believe this comes within his powers....We’ll see, but this will not end well.
Yeah, who needs Congress anyhow?
{{{sigh}}}}
Glad to see he’s governing from the center like the jourbalists claim.
Next week he’s going to sign a law giving llama ranchers the right to purchase flat screen televisions.
“Is this important? Who cares who can come see you in the hospital if YOU want to see them? Does this really need a law???”
In the service of expanding government intrusio, there is no need for a law...there is only a want to add more...
Hard to believe little Hitler is already ordering around phantom Divisions... He is loosing it much quicker that I thought he would.
Or those who claim they are. If they are in a actual committed relationship then they have already taken the necessary legal steps to make sure that their snuggle bunny can visit them in the hospital and has their medical power of attorney.
It is less complicated legally then getting married so this is just more feel good hogwash.
What this means is that anyone can come to the hospital and claim that they are your gay lover and the hospital has to let them see you.
There is potential for a great deal of malicious mischief here.
This is a great big bunch of hoo hah...since time began in America, a person has had the right to turn their funds to whomever they want to, family or not. A patient also has always had the right to have any visitor the patient prefers.
Bull. Been there, done that. More than once. Psych wards, ICU, Recovery.....never denied.
It must be nice to be King...
If a patient wants to see someone, related or not, they should be able to visit, unless there’s a compelling reason for a hospital to have a restrictive policy. Why government has to get involved is beyond me.
Now thats funny :)
News to me as well. I distinctly remember a patient I worked with about 20 years ago who was dying from AIDS. His partner was as devoted as present continuously. He was as devoted as any heterosexual partner I’ve seen. He told me they had been partners 30 or 40 years. No one ever told him to stay away. Go figure. I’ve seen it repeated in hospitals I worked at as well - many times. When someone was dying (or just ill or whatever), the nurses and other staff want loved ones nearby. I have yet to see someone thrown out because they weren’t “officially” part of the family.
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