Washington D.C., Mar 27, 2020 / 06:30 am
Members of Congress are asking the U.S. health department to clarify that states cannot ration patient care for coronavirus on the basis of disability.
A group of 25 members of the House and five senators all wrote Attorney General William Barr and Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Alex Azar on Wednesday, asking them to emphasize that states cannot discriminate against people with disabilities in their plans for dealing with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
"In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we urge your Department to act quickly to notify states that as they review and create their 'crisis standards of care,' they must not authorize or promote any form of disability discrimination that would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act," the letter states.
The letter was authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and led by Smith and Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) in the House. Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) signed on as well.