New federal rules guarantee same-sex partners' hospital visitation rights
Under new federal regulations, hospitals that accept Medicare and Medicaid payments can’t place restrictions on visitation based on sexual orientation — but the new rules don’t affect local hospitals.
University of Michigan Health System officials say staff has never denied visitors based on sexual orientation. The visitation policy at St. Joseph Mercy Health System, with locations in Saline, Ann Arbor and Chelsea, leaves it up to patients to decide who they see as family.
Kelly Parent, who manages the patient- and family-centered care program at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, said the new regulations are a step in the right direction, but don't go far enough.
“I’d love to see for it be taken to the next step and say this is the family of this patient and their access should be 24/7,” said Parent, whose daughter underwent treatment for a brain tumor in 2003 at Mott.
“We feel it’s very important to recognize that family should not be held to visiting hours,” she added.
At St. Joseph Mercy hospitals, some departments, like labor and delivery, may limit the number of visitors, but not who those visitors are, health system spokesperson Lauren Stokes said.
Gay rights groups applauded the regulations, which went into effect Tuesday.
“Today marks a step forward in ensuring same-sex couples are no longer discriminated against in hospital settings,” said Rea Carey, the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, in a press release. “Of all the things same-sex couples have to worry about, of all the discrimination and pressures we face, not being able to see our partner or spouse shouldn't be one of them.”
President Barack Obama requested the rule change in an April 2010 White House memorandum.
In a November release announcing the change, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials said the new rules issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are aimed at giving patients, rather than care providers, the right to say who can visit during an inpatient stay, whether that person is a relative or not.
by Juliana Keeping who is a health and environment reporter for AnnArbor.com.
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