Obama Orders Rules on Hospital Visit Rights for Gays
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President Barack Obama told federal health officials to issue rules giving gay and lesbian partners the same hospital visitation privileges as immediate family members, and providing the same opportunities to make decisions for patients who are incapacitated.
The White House released a memo from Obama to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, directing her department to write rules “to ensure that hospitals that participate in Medicare or Medicaid respect the rights of patients to designate visitors.”