Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act
Sponsored By: Senator Jacky Rosen
Introduced
Summary
Community-based palliative care for high‑risk Medicare beneficiaries would be tested by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation as a five‑year model to deliver 24/7 coordinated palliative services and co-manage care with primary and specialty providers. The model is intended to replace the Medicare Care Choices Model and would include telehealth to reach rural and underserved areas.
Show full summary
- Families and caregivers: Eligible Medicare beneficiaries with serious illnesses such as cancer, heart and lung disease, dementia, and others could get pain and symptom management, advance care planning, mental health support, and caregiver services in the home, an extended care facility, or community settings. Services may continue across inpatient stays if palliative care began before admission.
- Providers: Care would be delivered by multidisciplinary teams with at least one member certified in hospice and palliative care. Participating providers could include independent palliative practices, hospice programs, home health agencies, hospitals, and integrated health systems.
- Medicare program and system use: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation would compare model participants to similar beneficiaries on emergency department visits, hospital and ICU stays, hospice election and duration, and beneficiary and caregiver experience to see if the model reduces unwanted acute care use.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
More palliative care for Medicare
This bill would direct the Medicare Innovation Center to create a Community-Based Palliative Care Model. The model would run for five years and must start within one year of enactment. It would offer 24/7 palliative care, including telehealth, for Medicare Part A beneficiaries with serious illnesses. Care could be given in a home, a caregiver's residence, an extended care facility, or community settings and continue into inpatient stays if it began before admission. No one could be excluded for prior hospice use. The Innovation Center would be required to test the model and compare participant outcomes, utilization, hospice election and duration, demographics, and beneficiary and caregiver experience against non-participants.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Jacky Rosen
NV • D
Cosponsors
John Barrasso
WY • R
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Tammy Baldwin
WI • D
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Deb Fischer
NE • R
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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