Literature Review

Disability advocates challenge Illinois ‘aid-in-dying’ law llinois Public Media | NPR | PBS; by Brian Mackey; 6/23/26 Illinois aid-in-dying law is set to take effect in September. It’s meant to give terminally ill patients a medical way to end their lives. But opponents call it “assisted suicide,” and they’ve joined with disability advocates trying to block the law in court. We’ll hear from people on both sides of that debate. [This article provides links to multiple sources, addressing "both sides of that debate."]

Disability-rights advocates sue Illinois over physician-assisted suicide law RegionalMediaNews.com; by The Center Square; 6/18/26 A law that is set to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Illinois is being challenged by disability-rights advocates and organizations in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois.The law, signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last December, is set to go into effect on Sept. 12, but disability rights advocates, which make up the “End Assisted Suicide Coalition,” are seeking to prevent it. Similar laws have been passed in 13 states across the country, with many also being challenged in court.

GAO uses home health as benchmark to question Medicare hospice payments Home Health News; by Morgan Gonzales with Jim Parker; 6/9/26 ... GAO said Medicare could have saved about $7.6 billion if hospice routine home care from 2022 through 2024 had been reimbursed using adjusted home health per-visit rates rather than hospice’s current per-day payment system, according to a GAO report released Tuesday [6/9]. ... While The Alliance questioned the GAO’s comparison of hospice to home health, Mollie Gurian, vice president of policy and government affairs for LeadingAge, said that the comparison could be a helpful tool.

1776-1786: 250 Years - A History of CareHospice & Palliative Care Today; by Joy Berger; for 6/10/26Continental Congress, Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

Momentum builds on Capitol Hill to strengthen Medicare American Medical Association (AMA); by Tanya Albert Henry; 6/8/26 AMA-backed bill targets budget rules that trigger across-the-board physician payment cuts and threaten access to care. CMS eases Medicare claims process. Physicians are gaining ground in efforts to change federal policy that has contributed to Medicare rates falling about 33% since 2001 when adjusted for inflation. A bipartisan bill—one of several the AMA has supported in its multipronged effort to improve the Medicare physician payment system—was recently introduced in the House of Representatives and it aims to overhaul the Medicare Incentive-based Payment System (MIPS) to make it more efficient, useful and fair for participating physicians. 

Why physicians need to learn cannabis medicine now MedPageToday's KevinMD.com; by Janice Makela, MD; 5/31/26 I am a geriatrics and hospice and palliative medicine physician with over 20 years of experience. Over the years, I have seen how cannabis has helped my patients, and I am very comfortable with my patients using cannabis. But like many physicians, I was not formally trained in cannabis medicine. ... Since then, I’ve learned a lot about cannabis. And I also learned that ... most doctors have very little knowledge about cannabis or the endocannabinoid system. ... As new policies roll out, health care providers need to take time to educate themselves about cannabis. Otherwise, how can we help our patients?

State grant supports Navian Hawai'i, expands access to hospice careNavian Hawaii, Honolulu, HI; Press Release; 5/14/26 As federal funding uncertainty continues to impact health care providers nationwide, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature has approved a $450,000 grant-in-aid to Navian Hawaii. The funds will be used to renovate the nonprofit organization’s Kailua Home, helping expand access to hospice care and potentially increase Medicare funding for the state. The funding was included in the state’s supplemental budget bill finalized April 30, which outlines operating and capital improvement priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. The measure comes amid broader federal budget concerns, including proposed cuts to Medicaid under H.R. 1.

Dying for a change: understanding compassionate release policies in the United States ehospice; by Shivani Kaushki, PhD, MSSW; 5/25/26 As the United States prison population continues to age, the question of how society supports incarcerated individuals at the end of life has become increasingly urgent. ... Conducting a systematic review utilizing rigorous PRISMA guidelines, this study analyzed decades of research examining U.S. compassionate release policies, programs intended to allow terminally ill or severely debilitated individuals to spend their final days in the community instead of a correctional facility.

Ways and Means-approved policies fight fraud in critical safety net programs United States House Committe on Ways & Means - Chairman Jason Smith, Washington, DC; Press Release; 5/22/26 Ways and Means Republicans advanced anti-fraud legislation after months of hearings that revealed the extent of fraud and mismanagement in vital programs like Medicare, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and unemployment insurance. ... [Go directly to the Ways & Committee Fact Sheet, released on Friday 5/22/26, with information and links below to a Fact Sheet for each newly approved policy.] 

PARC Retreat explores how aging, workforce strains, and federal debt are reshaping U.S. health care Penn LDI - Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; by Hoag Levins; 5/13/26 Penn Gathering of Experts Examines the Growing Pressures Facing Older Americans In predicting the future of U.S. health care, it is important to recognize that the long-term health of the population depends not just on medical policy, innovation, or care delivery, but on whether the federal government can sustainably finance the systems that pay for that care, Penn Wharton School Professor and national budget expert Kent Smetters, PhD, told the May 1, 2026 Penn Population Aging Research Center Annual Retreat. 

8 years later, Ohio takes another look at ‘medical aid in dying.’ Will this time be different? Cleveland.com, Columbus, OH; by Mary Frances McGown; 4/26/26 Eight years after similar legislation stalled at the Statehouse, Ohio lawmakers are again weighing whether terminally ill residents should be able to determine the timing of their death. Rep. Eric Synenberg this week introduced legislation to legalize “medical aid in dying” in Ohio, allowing mentally competent adults with a terminal diagnosis and six months or less to live to hasten their deaths by taking a lethal dose of medication prescribed by a physician. ... Recent public polling has shown that most Americans are open to medical aid in dying, and advocates say that public education on the subject has improved since the last legislative battle. Yet opposition to such legislation is also strong, particularly among the religious.

NPHI statement on “Protecting Patients and Taxpayers: Cracking Down on Medicare Fraud” hearingNational Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation, Washington, DC; Press Release; 4/22/26 The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) supports the continued focus by Congress and the Administration on addressing fraud, waste, and abuse within the Medicare hospice benefit. NPHI’s policy team, led by Ethan McChesney and joined by Quin Lyons, attended the House Ways & Means Full Committee hearing titled “Protecting Patients and Taxpayers: Cracking Down on Medicare Fraud,” on April 21, reinforcing NPHI’s active engagement on this issue. ... “Fraud in hospice is not a theoretical concern – it is happening in real time, and patients and families are paying the price,” said Tom Koutsoumpas, Founder and CEO of NPHI. “We are seeing entire markets impacted by actors who have no connection to the communities they claim to serve. These fraudulent actors must be rooted out of the system — at once.