Idaho, Montana and Alaska Announce Crisis Standards of Care at Hospitals

As COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to soar in certain parts of the country, Idaho announced last week that it would expand health care rationing statewide, permitting medical facilities across the state to ration health care and triage patients. In doing so, Idaho joined individual hospital systems in Alaska and Montana, which have enacted similar crisis standards.

The decision to implement crisis standards of care raises concerns for the medical treatment of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Litigation challenging similar health care rationing standards in other states has revealed that crisis standards of care can lead to discrimination and denial of care for people with I/DD. ANCOR will continue to monitor these developments.