HD.2485/SD.1130: An Act relative to preventing discrimination against persons with disabilities in the provision of health care 

Legislation
Written By David Spratte

Lead Sponsors: Rep. Mindy Domb, Rep. Vanna Howard, Sen. Adam Gomez  

People with disabilities are frequently the victims of explicit and implicit bias in the healthcare system–all based on the presumption that the lives of disabled people have less worth than the lives of nondisabled people. This can have harmful and deadly consequences. Some disabled patients have been denied treatments, medications, and even removed from life support, while others have been pressured to sign do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders.  HD.2485/SD.1130 protects people with disabilities from life-threatening discrimination in our healthcare system. It prohibits healthcare entities from denying or deprioritizing a patient for healthcare services based on the assumption that a person with a disability has a reduced quality of life. It puts critical protections in place to prevent disabled patients from being pressured to sign DNR orders, and it ensures that decisions about the cost-effectiveness of treatments do not use discriminatory metrics. Finally, it ensures that, in any future public health crisis, the rules dictating access to lifesaving care do not discriminate against people with disabilities. 

For more information, contact Samantha Fein and Emma Gelbard at sfein@dpcma.org and egelbard@dpcma.org.  

David Spratte

Creative Director, HALO 22
For decades, David has worked with words and images and how they come together in design. That experience helps him guide people and projects to accomplish what they've set out to do. When not on the job for HALO 22, you might find him taking photos, playing with cars, or getting away from everything on a motorcycle.

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