Literature Review

Lobbying update: $1,520,000 of Humana Inc lobbying was just disclosed Quiver Quantitative; by Quiver Lobbying Radar; 10/20/26 $1,520,000 of HUMANA INC lobbying was just disclosed, from Q3 of 2026, in a new Lobbying Disclosure Act filing. This included lobbying on issues like: "Medicare Advantage (MA) Policy and Reimbursement Medicare Part D Issues Medicaid Policy Issues Including Dual Eligibles Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) and Pharmacy Policy and Reimbursement Issues Home Health Policy and Reimbursement Issues Implementation of Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 Public Law No. 117-169 H.R. 3514/S.1816, Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 (119th Congress) Prior Authorization Policy and Regulatory Issues CMS-4185-F2 Medicare Advantage Risk Adjustment Data Validation Final Rule Primary Care and Value-Based Care Policy and Reimbursement Clinical Policy Issues Including Workforce and Mental Health Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS): ... [the list continues]

Lawmakers: hospice staffing bill still a priority Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/29/26 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 well as incentives for professionals in these fields. Both Baldwin and Capito have served as caregivers for seriously ill family members.

Congress weighs how, not whether, to rein in private equity in health care HealthAffairs; by Yashaswini Singh and Jared Perkins; 9/24/26Six pending federal bills would regulate private equity in health care, from an outright ban to disclosure, licensing, and antitrust tools. Rather than a categorical ban, federal policy makers could learn from states’ transparency-first approach. ...

Hospices’ top legislative priorities Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/18/26As 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 are oriented around the common theme of preserving access to home-based care. “Care at home already has bipartisan support and recognition as a cost-effective, patient-preferred solution,” said Jennifer Sheets, CEO of the Alliance, in a statement. “As demand continues to grow, we are committed to being a strong partner with Congress to help federal policy grow with it.”

BPC’s comment on the CMS 2027 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed ruleBipartisan Policy Center (BPC); by Zach Gaumer; 9/15/26 [Letter to Mehmet Oz, Administrator, CMS/HHS] This letter includes BPC’s comments on select provisions of CMS’s proposed rule. The enclosed comments focus on our recent work on Medicare Part B physician payment reform and primary care payment reform, digital technology and AI, complex and long-term care, and rural health care. We offer comments on the following provisions within the proposed rule:

Oregon OSHA pursues workplace violence prevention rule for healthcare employers Mondaq; by Littler Mendelson; 8/26/26 Oregon OSHA has proposed a comprehensive workplace violence prevention rule for healthcare employers, implementing Senate Bill 537's statutory requirements. The proposal mandates periodic security assessments, development of prevention programs, and annual training for hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, home health agencies, and hospice programs. While the healthcare industry broadly supports violence prevention efforts, questions remain about whether the rule's training requirements exceed legislative.

Detroit teen’s cancer death sparks 5K walk and new Georgia diploma law hoodline, Detroit, MI; by Jerry McAllister; 8/16/26 A Detroit family walked the riverfront near their old neighborhood this week to honor a 15-year-old whose fight with a rare bone cancer ended in his death nearly two years ago but has since reshaped state law hundreds of miles away in Georgia. GaKobe Milton, who once lived in Detroit before his family relocated to Atlanta, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at age 13 in 2022 and died on December 10, 2024, after a two-year battle with the disease. His mother, Kuleesha Milton, brought his memory back to the city he called home with a 5K walk at Alfred Brush Ford Park along the Detroit Riverfront. ... Georgia lawmakers signed the GaKobe Milton Act into law in his honor, and Governor Brian Kemp signed House Bill 1284 on May 5, according to the Georgia General Assembly. The law requires local school boards to petition the State Board of Education within 14 days for graduation requirement waivers, allowing schools to award diplomas to terminally ill students receiving end-of-life care, or posthumously if necessary. The act waives completion of all remaining high school graduation requirements for eligible terminally ill students.

Safeguarding palliative and serious illness care in America The Lancet Regional Health - Americas; by William E. Rosa, Gina Piscitello, Diane E. Meier, Arif H. Kamal, Jean S. Kutner, Abby R. Rosenberg, Allison Silvers, Stacie Sinclair, Robert M. Arnold; August 2026If a society's greatness is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable, we live in discouraging times for the more than 13 million adults and 700,000 children with serious illnesses in the United States of America (U.S.). ... In this personal view, we describe three threats to specialty palliative care in the U.S., namely healthcare financing changes, increased privatization of services, and low prioritization of palliative care research in myriad contexts, including pharmaceutical and clinical trial research and development. We subsequently provide guidance for multi-sector actors to address these threats and mitigate harms while optimizing palliative care for U.S. populations.

[Canada] Listening to young people on childhood death: a youth-focused participatory approach to children's palliative and end-of-life research and policymaking Children & Society; by Sydney Campbell, Nika Rovensky, Ryan Kent, Lauren Delaney, Franco A. Carnevale, Mary Ellen Macdonald; 6/23/26 Conclusion: Our study is one of the first to investigate the perspectives of young people in Canada regarding children's palliative and end-of-life (P-EOL) care, and the first in Canada to employ a participatory approach with young people in research about childhood death and dying. ... To date, the lessons we have learned can help researchers from diverse contexts aiming to carry out similar projects related to children's P-EOL care, based in the belief that the only way to truly shift current practices that overlook young people's voices and engagements as meaningful is through continuous advocacy, development, and application of engagement practices in all matters affecting young people.

Public Policy Agenda & Toolkit National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care; Press Release; 5/4/26 The National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care’s Public Policy Agenda outlines a unified, consensus-driven set of priorities to strengthen palliative care and hospice for patients, families, and caregivers across the lifespan. Developed through collaboration among national member organizations, the agenda provides a coordinated framework to guide policy and advocacy efforts at both the national and state levels. It reflects shared priorities to improve access, advance quality and equity, support the workforce, and promote sustainable, value-based care.

H.R.9703 - Improving access to transfusion care for hospice patients act of 2026 U.S. Congress.gov, House Ways and Means Committee; sponsored by Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI-6); bill introduced 7/15/26 H.R. 9703: To require the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test allowing blood transfusions to be paid separately from the Medicare hospice all-inclusive per diem payment.

Reynolds creates Iowa Medicaid fraud task force Insurance Newsnet; by Marissa Payne; 7/9/26 Gov. Kim Reynolds signed an executive order Wednesday [7/8] creating a new task force geared toward eliminating Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse, joining in the federal government's crackdown on potential misuse of public assistance programs. Reynolds signed the order establishing the Iowa Medicaid Fraud Elimination Task Force, which the Republican governor's office says will seek to ensure funds are used to support Iowans who qualify for benefits. "Safeguarding federal programs like Medicaid from bad actors requires accountability at every point in the process, from member eligibility verification to provider enrollment and billing," Reynolds said in a statement. 

A smarter approach to fraud means better care at home The Hill | Opinion; by Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) and Jennifer Sheets; 6/23/26 .. Home health and hospice providers meet people where they are — both physically and through wraparound support — caring for them in their homes at the end of life or during critical healing and recovery periods when trust is paramount. ... Fraudulent operators do not simply steal taxpayer dollars; they harm real people, exploit vulnerable individuals, undermine legitimate providers, and erode confidence in critical healthcare services that families depend on every day. Combatting fraud, waste and abuse in healthcare must remain a national priority. That is why I am glad to partner with the National Alliance for Care at Home on the Protecting Seniors and Stopping Fraudsters Act, designed to strengthen program integrity in home health and hospice while protecting access to care for patients who depend on these services, and reducing burden for legitimate providers.