Hospice advocates push bill for a third time despite two Hochul vetoes

Hospice advocates push bill for a third time despite two Hochul vetoes 
Spectrum News 1, New York State; by susan Arbetter; 2/12/25 
Last spring, Capital Tonight sounded an alarm about for-profit hospice care. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had just issued public warnings about for-profit hospice fraud in four states; it was alerting consumers to a scam in which patients were being enrolled without their knowledge by recruiters who were “selling” hospice to people who weren’t eligible. Hospice fraud like this has also been extensively reported by The New Yorker and Pro Publica. After Gov. Kathy Hochul twice vetoed a bill preventing the expansion of for-profit hospice in New York, a new bill (S.3437/ A. 565) is being introduced by the chair of the state Senate Finance Committee, Liz Krueger, and chair of the state Assembly Health Committee, Amy Paulin. “If a family is faced with a loved one that is dying, they should not also be faced with the possible incentive of money,” Assembly member Paulin told Capital Tonight. There are a variety of drawbacks to for-profit care, and there is clear data that shows profit motives drive for-profit hospice to neglect patient care and prioritize volume over quality.