Palliative care benefit work group

Palliative care benefit work group 
Office of the Insurance Commissioner - Washington State; 7/23/24 
The Washington state Legislature has directed the Office of the Insurance Commissioner, in consultation with the Health Care Authority, to convene a work group to design the parameters of a palliative care benefit and payment model for fully insured health plans. The work group must submit a report to the Legislature detailing its work and any recommendations by November 1, 2025. The work group must consider the following elements of a palliative care benefit: 

• Clinical eligibility criteria;
• The services included in a palliative care benefit;
• Appropriate staffing, including staffing models and provider training;
• Evaluation criteria and reporting requirements; and
• Payment models.

Editor's Note: Washington state's work group follows in the steps of Hawai'i new palliative care benefit. For reference, see the article we posted on 6/5/24 and again 6/9/24 (Sunday's Top Read Articles): Hawaiʻi is the first state to provide palliative care coverage.