An Act relative to preventing discrimination against persons with disabilities in the provision of health care

This bill updates Massachusetts health care laws to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities by explicitly changing the term "handicap" to "disability" in state statutes. It prohibits hospitals and health care providers from denying or deprioritizing life-saving treatment based on assumptions that a person's life is less valuable because of their disability or chronic condition. The legislation also bans institutions from making access to care conditional on a patient having a "do not resuscitate" order or advance directive, while still allowing providers to discuss these options and consider short-term survival prospects.