In recent years we’ve seen the phenomenon of policy-based exclusions take hold, which my bill directly addresses. Policy-based exclusions are bans on certain forms of healthcare — healthcare that hospitals are licensed to provide but choose not to based on decision-making from non-medical personnel rather than sound science. In New York, policy-based exclusions have primarily removed reproductive, gender-affirming, and end-of-life care, leaving people in regions across our state without access to these important services.
My bill will help us combat this alarming trend by requiring the Department of Health (DOH) to publish a list of policy-based exclusions from every general hospital in New York on its website and, likewise, require hospitals, as part of their Patient Rights and Responsibilities Statement, to list policy-based exclusions and include a link to the DOH website. This is an important step, as once we identify these healthcare deserts, we can begin to put in place policies, funding, and regulations that will ensure everyone, no matter where they live, has access to the care they need.
People deserve to know what healthcare is and is not available to them at their local hospital, and my bill will help deliver that transparency.
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