Medical treatment rights of older persons and persons with disabilities: 1991 developments. National Legal Center staff.

Federal legislation requires that health care facilities receiving Medicaid payments must provide their patients upon admission with information on advance directives. The Department of Justice has issued regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act. Oregon is seeking federal approval of a plan to ration health care for Medicaid recipients. A federal court of appeals is reviewing whether section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act applies to infants with disabilities in need of medical care. In cases involving refusal of life-sustaining treatment, state courts continue to grapple with who is the appropriate decisionmaker and what limitations apply to protect incompetent persons. The number of states that have enacted "living will" and durable power of attorney laws has increased.