Utah Hospitals May Implement Age-Based Care Rationing as Covid Cases Surge
As the coronavirus pandemic worsens in Utah, the state is expected to implement a health care rationing system that favors younger patients over older ones. Similar policies in several other states have been successfully stopped.
Posted on November 6, 2020
With Covid-19 cases surging in many areas of the country, a state’s hospital system can become overwhelmed with patients. Utah is one of the latest states facing this predicament. In response, the state is expected to implement a health care rationing system to determine who gets priority for treatment. Under the protocol, which requires the governor’s approval, hospitals can triage intensive care based on a patient’s age, health, situation, and ability to survive. Patients who continue to get worse while receiving intensive care would be moved off life-saving equipment to make way for other patients. If two patients’ conditions are equal, young patients would have priority over older patients.
The advocacy group Justice in Aging has asked the state to reconsider the fact that the care rationing guidelines do not prohibit age discrimination. Justice in Aging worked to exclude similar age-based standards in Arizona, California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Texas, and helped California rewrite its criteria so it doesn't illegally discriminate against older adults and people with disabilities.
Noting that in Utah people over age 65 account for three-quarters of deaths from Covid-19, Justice in Aging states: “The often articulated idea that older people have ‘had their turn’ devalues the contributions that older adults continue to make to our families and communities, discounts a person’s potential to recover and rebound, and codifies reliance on age-based bias into one of the most delicate decisions healthcare providers must make during this pandemic. When a tie breaker becomes necessary, the Utah policy places a thumb on the scale against older adults, by virtue of their age alone.”
More from our blog…
What You Should Know About Long-Term Care
Research shows that roughly one in seven adults aged 65 or older will need long-term care at some point in their later years. Meanwhile, tens of millions [...]
Understanding Medicaid: What Does Medicaid Cover?
In the complex and frequently changing landscape of health care in the United States, Medicaid stands out as a vital program. Since 1965, it has [...]
Elder Financial Abuse: How an Elder Law Attorney Can Help
Elder financial abuse is a significant issue affecting many older adults nationwide. It involves someone exploiting or misusing an older person’s finances or assets for [...]
Does Medicare Cover Prescription Weight Loss Drugs?
Americans have a growing appetite for prescription drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. Originally developed to treat Type 2 diabetes, they are now exploding [...]
Recent blog posts
FREE WEBINAR
5 Things to Know About
Estate Planning
When You Turn Sixty-Five