Though the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has regulatory authority over hospices, Congress has a role to play. To fulfill that role, they should listen to the concerns of hospice providers, according to Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.). Panetta first took office in 2017 and currently serves on the Ways and Means Committee, […]
U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) remain committed to passing the Palliative Care and Hospice Education Training Act (PCHETA). If enacted, PCHETA would provide support for hospice and palliative care training programs for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers and chaplains. The legislation would also expand continuing education and career-development opportunities, as […]
As the midterm elections approach, hospices have unfinished business in the halls of Congress. Providers have identified several high priority pieces of legislation they would like to see passed before this Congress ends in December, according to healthcare leaders attending the National Alliance for Care at Home’s Advocacy Week on Capitol Hill. Most of these […]
An advance care planning bill introduced in California has recently passed in the state Senate. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is now considering the legislation. If enacted, the legislation would introduce provisions to existing advance care planning options designed to improve access to goal-concordant care. Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-38) introduced the bill. “This legislation puts patients […]
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) has introduced a new bill designed to reduce financial barriers to hospice care for patients with blood conditions. The new Improving Access to Transfusion Care for Hospice Patients Act of 2026, if enacted, would require the U.S. Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Center for Innovation to establish a new […]
Reps. Dr. John Joyce (D-Pa.), Dr. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) and Dr. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.) have introduced the Patients First Act. The legislation is aimed at strengthening healthcare access, including among seriously ill seniors. The legislation reforms the Medicare physician fee schedule and establishes a primary care hybrid payment pilot program. The legislation was introduced to […]
U.S. Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) have introduced a new bill designed to establish a public reporting outlet that better connects consumers to regulatory fraud enforcement efforts. The ReportScams.gov Act, if enacted, would establish an online portal for Americans to report scams and receive help from law enforcement and federal agencies. The […]
Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) has introduced a bill intended to fight the ongoing plague of hospice and home health fraud. The Protecting Seniors and Stopping Fraudsters Act is designed to bolster Medicare oversight, crack down on scammers, protect seniors from fraudulent enrollments and improve accountability across the hospice and home health system, according to […]
A federal district court in Oregon has allowed a lawsuit to proceed related to home-based psilocybin therapies for terminally ill, homebound individuals. Psilocybin facilitators sued the Oregon Health Authority to allow for “reasonable accommodations” for individuals who cannot travel to a service center due to an illness or disability. Plaintiffs have alleged that existing policies […]
U.S. Reps. Mike Kelly (R-Penn.) and Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) have introduced the Concurrent Care for Comfort Act, designed to ensure that hospice patients can receive dialysis treatment. The Concurrent Care for Comfort Act would clarify Medicare coverage policies for palliative dialysis and establish separate reimbursement for these services when provided by renal dialysis facilities and […]
