ABC News: Civil Rights Complaint Targets Idaho Health Care Rationing September 24, 2021

An advocacy group for older adults called Justice in Aging has filed a civil rights complaint against Idaho over the state’s “crisis standards of care” guidelines for hospitals that are overwhelmed by patients amid the coronavirus pandemic. The group asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday to investigate Idaho’s health care rationing plan — contending it discriminates against older adults and especially older Black and Native American adults by using factors like age in prioritizing which patients may get access to life-saving care.

“We want the state to not include age as a stand-alone factor,” and to move away from SOFA scores, Bailey. “We’re concerned with the continued reliance on a tool that’s been shown to disproportionately steer Black people away from life-saving care.”