BREAKING NEWS: Medicare Program: Fiscal Year 2027 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements 
Federal Register; An unpublished Rule by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on 08/03/2026 
This document is unpublished. It is scheduled to be published on 08/03/2026. Once it is published it will be available on this [linked Federal Register] page in an official form. Until then, you can download the unpublished PDF version. ... Comment: Numerous commenters, including national associations, State hospice associations, large health systems, and individual providers, expressed strong concerns that the proposed 2.4 percent FY 2027 hospice payment update is insufficient to keep pace with the actual cost of delivering high-quality hospice care.  
[The following tables are from this "unpublished document" from the Federal Register, "scheduled to be published on 08/03/2026."]

National Alliance for Care at Home responds to FY 2027 Hospice Final Rule
National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA; Press Release; 7/30/26
The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) today responded to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fiscal year (FY) 2027 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update final rule, which finalizes payment and regulatory changes under the Medicare hospice benefit.
CMS finalized a 2.3% payment update to the Medicare hospice benefit, which continues to fall short of the rising labor and supply costs required to deliver high-quality hospice care. As demand for hospice services continues to grow, payment updates must more accurately reflect providers’ costs so that access to these essential services does not decline. 
“CMS’s 2.3% payment update does not reflect the true cost of delivering hospice care and adds further strain to providers who are already stretched thin,” said Jennifer Sheets, CEO of the Alliance. “Compounding that pressure is a Service and Spending Variation Index built on a fundamentally flawed methodology that penalizes legitimate providers for non-hospice claims they have no visibility into nor control over, with no process to review or correct the data before it is made public. This is not a sound approach to program integrity. An inadequate payment update combined with an unreliable oversight tool creates a serious and growing burden for legitimate providers working to serve their communities.” 

Unity Golf Classic raises more than $80,000 to support compassionate hospice care, palliative care 
The Chamber Manitowoc County, De Pere, WI; Press Release; 7/28/2026
Unity's 10th Annual Golf Classic brought together 124 golfers, 26 sponsors, 28 volunteers, and several community partners on Thursday, July 16, at Thornberry Creek at Oneida, raising nearly $80,000 to support Unity's mission of providing compassionate care and grief support throughout Northeast Wisconsin. Celebrating its tenth year, the Unity Golf Classic has become one of the organization's signature fundraising events, helping ensure patients and families receive expert, dignified care regardless of their ability to pay. "The Unity Golf Classic is about much more than a day on the course," said Alisa Gerke, Executive Director of Unity. "It is an opportunity for our community to come together in support of patients and families facing some of life's most difficult moments. We are incredibly grateful to every golfer, sponsor, volunteer, and donor whose generosity makes this event possible."

Community Hospice introduces Community Horizon Health
The Daily Independent, Ashland, KY; by Staff Report; 7/28/26 
Community Hospice announced a new organizational identity that “reflects the organization’s vision for the future while honoring nearly five decades of compassionate service to the community,” according to a news release. Community Horizon Health brings the organization’s current services together under one unified identity “while creating the flexibility to expand and meet future needs.” “The needs of our community continue to evolve, and we believe it is our responsibility to evolve alongside them,” said CEO Rod Hieneman. “Community Horizon Health is not about changing who we are. It’s about preparing for where we’re going. This new identity allows us to thoughtfully grow while remaining true to the mission and values that have guided us from the very beginning.”

Trella Health releases 2026 Post-Acute Market Intelligence Report -- now fully interactive -- highlighting flattening Medicare Advantage growth and stabilizing FFS volumes
PR Newsletter, Atlanta, GA; Press Release; 7/30/26
Trella Health today released its Post-Acute Market Intelligence Report: 2026 Edition. ... The report examines the trends reshaping care delivery, referral patterns, and growth opportunities across the post-acute care market. ... The findings point to a post-acute market at a pivotal moment ... fee-for-service hospice admissions grew at their fastest rate in five years, while skilled nursing admissions recorded their first annual increase since 2022. ... [Additionally ...] 

• Earlier hospice adoption is associated with lower end-of-life Medicare spending. Patients with 121 or more days on hospice averaged a $29K lower total cost of care over their final six months than patients who never enrolled, $68K versus $97K.
• Hospice admissions continue to accelerate. Fee-for-service hospice admissions increased 4.1% in 2025, rising from approximately 1.61M to 1.68M. Hospice admissions have now increased 18.5% nationally since 2019, although admissions growth varies considerably by state

Ennoble Care achieves outstanding quality outcomes and lower costs for high-needs Medicare patients
The Best Times, Arlington, VA; by PR Newswire; 7/30/26
Ennoble Care announced the publication of its 2026 Quality and Outcomes Report. The report highlights reductions in hospitalizations, improved quality of life, and lower costs for a population that is twice as medically complex as the national Medicare average.

• Ennoble Care patients had a median hospice stay of 49 days versus 18 days nationally.
• 16 percent of Ennoble Care patients enroll in hospice in crisis — within seven days of death — compared with about 25 percent nationally.

Adopting the fourth pillar of acute care surgery: the current state of palliative medicine in trauma care 
Current Trauma Reports; by Alison Haruta and Kathleen O'Connell; 7/30/26
Although most older trauma patients survive hospitalization, many deaths occur within six months after discharge, making early goals-of-care (GOC) discussions essential. However, palliative care consultation remains significantly underused, occurring in only 2–4% of severely injured trauma cases. ... Primary palliative care skills are essential for trauma surgeons, though effective integration into the trauma system has been variable. As the need grows, the specialty palliative care work force cannot keep up with demand, highlighting the need for surgeons to learn and perfect their primary palliative care skills, including communication skills and holistic symptom management. Palliative care should function as a core pillar of trauma care, ensuring dignity, reducing non-beneficial treatments, and improving end-of-life experiences for patients and families.

CMS’s decision to end temporary subsidies to Medicare’s stand-alone drug plans could mean larger premium increases for some beneficiaries next year
KFF; by Juliette Cubanski; 7/29/26 
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has just announced plans to end the temporary Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration after 2026. The goal of the demonstration, which CMS originally stated could last for at least three years when it was established in 2024, was designed to stabilize stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) premiums and enrollment amid the rollout of changes to the Part D benefit under the Inflation Reduction Act. The IRA capped out-of-pocket drug spending for Part D enrollees and shifted more costs onto Part D plan sponsors, leading to higher expected costs and premiums, particularly for PDPs. Based on its evaluation of bids for 2027, CMS now states that PDP sponsors have gained “sufficient experience” to support bid development, suggesting that the extra financial support provided to PDP sponsors under the demonstration is no longer needed.

In New York, who will get to take advantage of medical aid in dying
Prism; by Ben Rappaport; 7/30/26
For terminally ill patients, the new law [going into effect in New York on Aug. 5] offers the choice to end suffering. But cost, provider shortages, and medical distrust among communities of color could make the option less accessible. When Kiki Jackson first heard the phrase “medical aid in dying,” she scrunched her face in suspicion. Jackson, a 74-year-old lifelong resident of Harlem, was listening to a group discussion at a local senior center about New York’s new Medical Aid in Dying Act. For her and about a dozen other Black community members in attendance, the idea of terminally ill adults having the right to end their lives evoked troubling experiences with the medical system. ... Research aggregating over 20 years of data from 13 states and Washington, D.C., where similar laws are on the books, reveals that the people who’ve utilized medical aid in dying are overwhelmingly white, college-educated, and able to pay out of pocket.

VITAS zeroes in on acquisitions amid hospice moratorium 
Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 7/29/26
VITAS Healthcare is shifting more of its attention towards acquisitions during a six-month national moratorium on Medicare hospice enrollment. ... VITAS Healthcare is shifting more of its attention towards acquisitions during a six-month national moratorium on Medicare hospice enrollment. “The moratorium does influence our ability to apply for new CONs,” Wherley said during an earnings call on Wednesday. “The moratorium does not prevent us from moving forward with potential acquisitions, as long as the provider has been in service for three years. We’re actively reviewing any of those opportunities with markets that have a barrier to entry as our first interest. But we’re continuing to look at what other opportunities could potentially exist out there.”

Executive Personnel Changes - 7/31/26

• Treasure Health, parent company of Treasure Coast Hospice and Brevard-based St. Francis Hospice, announced the appointment of George W. Eighmy, MBA, FHFMA, as Chief Financial Officer.  Eighmy succeeds Lisbet "Liz" Vandenberg, who recently retired from the nonprofit hospice organization.

Goodbye July--when even the ice cream melts faster than you can eat it.