WASHINGTON — Hospitals that accept Medicare and Medicaid payments must let patients choose which persons, including gay and lesbian partners, can visit them and help make critical health decisions, President Barack Obama said Thursday.
Gay rights advocates hailed the move as a major step toward fairness for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.
Obama on Thursday instructed the Health and Human Services Department to draft rules requiring federally subsidized hospitals to grant all patients the right to designate people who can visit and consult with them at crucial moments.
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