General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I am "gay" married! (ETA....thanks) [View all]nichomachus
(12,754 posts)You had better have documentation for hospital things. General visiting may not be a problem, but depending on the hospital, they may want to see some documentation to visit the ICU (family members only), making decisions, or getting medical records. They're probably not going to just take your word for it. What would prevent me from walking in, saying I was your husband, and getting your medical records. In fact, I'd be worried if the hospital didn't want some proof before handing out confidential information.
My partner and I have our marriage certificate scanned into both of our records at our local hospital. I know of heterosexual couples that have had to show documentation. One problem for hospitals is that a lot of heterosexual couples who are unmarried and living together refer to themselves as "married," even when they're not. This causes all sorts of legal problems for the hospital.