Literature Review

Colorado’s medical aid-in-dying residency requirement won’t be lifted The Colorado Sun, by Jesse Paul; 3/1/24 Out-of-state residents will continue to be prohibited from receiving medical aid in dying in Colorado after a bill aimed at loosening the regulations for terminally ill people seeking to end their lives was pared back Thursday evening. Senate Bill 68 was also changed to shrink the waiting period for people seeking medical aid in dying to seven days from 15, with the possibility to eliminate the waiting period for people who may not have 48 hours to live. 

How will Kentucky's medical marijuana program be regulated? Here's where things stand Louisville Courier Journal, by Olivia Evans; 3/4/24The Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program — which regulates the legal cultivation, production, sale and use of medical marijuana products — is set to officially start Jan. 1, 2025. ... In early January, Gov. Beshear's administration filed its first set of 10 regulations governing the industry and providing a framework for how businesses will operate. ... The 10 regulations focus on cultivators, processors, producers, safety compliance facilities, dispensaries and more. ... According to the website for the state medical cannabis program, the cabinet is in the process of developing additional regulations.

Revolutionizing healthcare: New legislative measures reshape services and access in 2023 BNN, by Israel Ojoko; 2/28/24[Oklahoma Senate] Recent legislative actions have significantly altered the healthcare landscape, addressing issues in hospice care, long-term care training, pharmacy services, physician licensure, Medicaid, and substance abuse services.

WiHPCA: Applauds State Assembly for approving bill establishing a state Palliative Care Council WisPolitics; 2/22/24[Wednesday,] the [Wisconsin] State Assembly approved Assembly Bill 736, a bill that would establish a state Palliative Care Council. The Wisconsin Hospice and Palliative Care Association (WiHPCA) strongly supports this legislation, which would ultimately help increase awareness and utilization of palliative care throughout the state. The Assembly Committee on Health, Aging, and Long-Term Care voted 16-0 on January 17 to recommend approval of this legislation. This bill would establish a council of individuals with palliative care and other medical expertise to consult and advise the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) on this type of specialized medical care. 

US Senate launches investigation of assisted living after lay media reports about safety, staffing, pricingMcKnight's Senior Living, by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 1/17/24The US Senate Special Committee on Aging is launching a review of the assisted living industry following recent articles in the Washington Post, which reported on the deaths of residents who wandered from communities, as well as the New York Times and KFF, which scrutinized an industry pricing structure that adds fees on top of basic charges to cover additional services, as well as rate increases and the for-profit status of most providers.

Well-being of older adults, workforce prioritized in executive orderMcKnights Senior Living, by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 1/8/24The well-being of older adults and members of the direct care workforce has become a top priority in Maryland with the recent signing of an executive order meant to address challenges related to the state’s aging population. Senior living industry representatives say the effort has “tremendous” potential for operators in the state.

America has a life expectancy crisis. But it’s not a political priority.Washington PostDecember 28, 2023The commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration had an urgent message last winter for his colleagues, brandishing data that life expectancy in the United States had fallen again—the biggest two-year decline in a century. Robert Califf’s warning, summarized by three people with knowledge of the conversations, boiled down to this: Americans’ life expectancy is going the wrong way. 

‘Death Doula’ allowed to keep business open following ruling by federal judgeWANE-TV (Fort Wayne, IN)December 20, 2023Fort Wayne, IN—A Fort Wayne woman who provides end of life guidance for clients can keep her business open for now. Lauren Richwine had been forced to stop operating Death Done Differently after receiving a cease and desist order from the Indiana Attorney’s General office claiming she does not hold a funeral director license for herself or a funeral home license for her business. On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Holly Brady issued a preliminary injunction which allows Richwine to keep the business open while her legal challenge to the claims she’s violating Indiana’s funeral home laws plays out in the courts. 

A plea before dying—on behalf of those who might need itBy Burt RiskedahlTwin Cities Pioneer PressDecember 19, 2023I am so grateful for many of the important legislative bills approved in the 2023 session of the Minnesota Legislature, particularly those that protect reproductive health rights, ensure LGBTQ access to needed care and treatment, and provide significant funding for increased access to education. ... Regretfully, the Legislature failed to enact another important measure, the Minnesota End-of-Life Options Act, that would have also provided important rights to people. 

Lawmakers bring PACE expansion bill back into playMcKnight’s Home Care DailyDecember 15, 2023Two members of Congress reintroduced a bill that would strengthen and expand the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and John Moolenaar (R-MI) introduced the PACE Expanded Act on Dec. 5. The sweeping legislation, if passed, would promote the expansion of existing PACE programs, make it easier to establish new programs, make PACE more affordable for Medicare beneficiaries and create a pilot program for testing the PACE model within new populations. 

Missouri legislation would allow doctor-assisted suicide for terminal patientsKFVS-TV (Cape Girardeau, MO)December 13, 2023Jefferson City, MO—A bill that’s been pre-filed in the Missouri House of Representatives would open the door to medically-assisted suicide for patients who have been diagnosed with terminal diseases. The legislation, nicknamed the ‘Marilyn Teitelbaum Death with Dignity’ Act, was named after a St. Louis-area women who traveled with family members to Denver as she suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and was seeking to end her life.