Literature Review

Mississippi House approves bill to allow medical marijuana use in hospitals for terminally ill patients Marijuana Moment; by Kyle Jaeger; 2/5/26 The Mississippi House of Representatives has approved a bill to allow terminally ill patients to access medical marijuana in hospitals, nursing facilities and hospice centers. About a week after advancing out of the House Public Health and Human Services Committee, the full chamber passed the legislation from Rep. Kevin Felsher (R) in a 117-1 vote on Wednesday. Known as “Ryan’s Law,” an acknowledgement of a young cannabis patient who passed and whose father has since become an advocate for access in hospital settings, the bill is meant to “support the ability of terminally ill qualifying patients to safely use medical cannabis within specified health care facilities.” 

Congress passes spending bill, extends telehealth flexibilities American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC); by Renee Dustman; 2/4/26 ... Congress has extended the expiration dates for certain telehealth flexibilities from Jan. 30, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2027 (unless otherwise stated), as follows: ...

O&I Subcommittee holds hearing on ongoing fraud in Medicare and Medicaid programs Energy & Commerce - Chairman Brett Guthrie, Washington, DC; Press Release; 2/3/26 Today [2/3], Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, led a hearing titled Common Schemes, Real Harm: Examining Fraud in Medicare and Medicaid. ... Watch the full hearing here. [Key excerpts:] ... Congressman Buddy Carter (GA-01): “Auditors found 112 hospice providers operating out of a single physical address. 112...holy cow. As a result, hospice agencies in LA County alone likely overbilled Medicare by $105 million in just one year. […] It looks like it’s a problem in a lot of different places. 

Washington House Committee advances bill allowing medical marijuana use for terminal patients in care facilities The Marijuana Herald; by Anthony Martinelli; 1/21/26 Legislation to require certain health care facilities in Washington to allow terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana was just given approval by the House Health Care and Wellness Committee. The bipartisan measure, House Bill 2152, is sponsored by State Representatives Shelley Kloba (D) and Skyler Rude (R). Committee approval moves the proposal closer to consideration by the full House during the 2026 legislative session, which begins in January. As written, the bill would require licensed hospitals, nursing homes and hospice care centers to adopt policies allowing the medical use of marijuana by qualifying patients with terminal conditions beginning January 1, 2027. 

Top legal challenges for the health care industry in 2026 JD Supra; by Roxana Bokaei, Michele Gipp, David S. Greenberg, Gayland Hethcoat II, Brian Schneider, Jessica Sprovtsoff, Kathryn Steffen, Jill Steinberg, Hillary Stemple, Stephanie Trunk; 1/22/26 With 2026 underway, the AFS Health Care team highlights some of the most pressing legal issues facing the health care industry this year.

Some Americans to get Social Security benefits faster under new bill Newsweek; by Suzanne Blake; 1/16/26 A new Social Security bill has been proposed that would allow some Americans to get their benefits sooner. ... Why It Matters: Traditionally, Social Security disability recipients get paid on a specific schedule monthly after waiting a five-month period to earn their benefits. However, for terminally ill beneficiaries, this five-month delay can be especially burdensome and affect their quality of life before they inevitably die from their disease.

Governor Hochul unveils proposals to increase support and resources for New York’s older adults 2026 State of the State - Health, Albany, NY; Press Release; 1/13/26 Governor Kathy Hochul today proposed a series of initiatives to support older New Yorkers as part of her 2026 State of the State. The Governor’s investments will help older New Yorkers, caretakers, and communities by connecting them to key resources so seniors can age in place, at home, in the communities they know and love.

Appeals court rules New Jersey’s medically assisted suicide law is for residents only AP – U.S. News; by Mike Catalini; 12/10/25 A New Jersey law that permits terminally ill people to seek life-ending drugs applies only to residents of the state and not those from beyond its borders, a federal appeals court ruled. The Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected arguments challenging New Jersey’s residency requirement while acknowledging how fraught end-of-life decisions can be. The court noted that not all states have adopted the same approach.

House passes legislation that extends acute hospital care at home program through 2030 Health IT Answers | Industry News; 12/15/25 ATA Action, the advocacy arm of the American Telemedicine Association, comments on the U.S. House passing the U.S. House of the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act (H.R. 4313) recently, which extends the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) program through 2030. This is an important step to avert another lapse of essential care for Medicare patients on January 30, 2026. ... “In a solid show of bipartisan support, the House passed legislation under suspension, to ensure that millions of Medicare beneficiaries will continue to have access ..."

Bipartisan senators: Keep hospice out of Medicare Advantage Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 11/21/25 Two U.S. Senators have penned a letter to congressional leadership urging them to oppose any measures to bring hospice reimbursement into Medicare Advantage. Sens. Dr. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) circulated the letter on Thursday, addressed to Senate leaders from both major political parties, as well as the chair and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee. 

Hospice workers call for Gov. Hochul to sign bill restricting for-profit hospices WSKG/PBS/NPR Buffalo Toronto Public Media; by Emyle Watkins; 11/14/25 A medical campus that once made history is renewing calls for better patient care. Hospice and Palliative Care Buffalo, a non-profit, opened the first combined residential and in-patient hospice campus in the United States 30 years ago. On Thursday, workers at this campus gathered to call on Governor Kathy Hochul to sign legislation preventing for-profit hospices from growing or opening until better patient safeguards are in place. Jeanne Chirico, the president of the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State, says, "Why is that important? Because evidence from across the country has shown us what happens when hospice becomes a business model instead of a mission."

Ana Maria Rodriguez files a bill to better ensure patient choices are honored in end-of-life care Florida Politics; by Andrew Powell; 10/31/25 Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez wants to make sure physicians follow directives from Florida patients who communicate and preauthorize end-of-life care preferences. Those can include pain management choices and interventions that artificially prolong the process of dying. The Doral Republican filed a bill (SB 312) that aims to establish and regulate “patient-directed medical orders” within Florida law, ensuring that patient preferences, such as withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining interventions, are honored and respected across health care settings.

Bipartisan group of N.Y. legislators urge Hochul to sign bill preventing for-profit hospice expansion Spectrum News 1, Northern New York; by Susan Arbetter; 10/9/25 Because hospice care doesn’t provide curative treatment, for-profit companies, including private equity firms, are swiftly entering the field because they can make a lot of money. It hasn’t worked out well. In New York state, there are 39 not-for-profit hospice programs and two for-profit. There are those who point to the state’s low hospice utilization rate and say the answer is to open the state up to more for-profit hospice. State Sen. Liz Krueger, a Democrat from Manhattan, and state Assemblyman Brian Maher, a Republican from the Hudson Valley, both strongly disagree.