Blumenauer proposes overhaul to Hospice Benefit

Blumenauer proposes overhaul to Hospice Benefit: If enacted, the legislation would be the single most significant update to the hospice benefit and payment structure since its inception in 1982.
U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Washington, DC; Press Release; 9/26/24

Today, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, introduced the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform and Enforcement Act (Hospice CARE Act) to modernize Medicare’s hospice benefit, which has remained largely unchanged since its inception in 1982. The proposal comes as egregious reports of fraud and abuse within the benefit persist, despite action from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The legislation is the product of years of collaboration between stakeholders, lawmakers, and industry leaders. It builds on Blumenauer’s decades-long commitment to ensure the federal government supports families at a time of great stress and vulnerability: the end of life.

“The United States spends significantly more on health care than other developed nations for worse outcomes. Nowhere is this more egregious than in the hospice industry,” said Congressman Earl Blumenauer. “Patients and families deserve better. We need a reset. It is past time for Congress to act to end the fraud, waste, and abuse within the hospice benefit and bring it into the 21st century.”

To protect patients and taxpayers, the Hospice CARE Act would institute a number of long overdue reforms to crackdown on fraud while incentivizing high-quality care. Critically, it would:

• Reform the payment structure:  ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]
• Bolster program integrity: ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

A one-page fact sheet can be found here. Bill text here. 
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