Sponsors (2)
The bill aims to expand and standardize advance care planning—improving provider training, awareness, EHR interoperability, and access to advance directives—but does so at the cost of added federal spending, new administrative burdens, state‑law friction, privacy/security risks, and potential equity concerns for digitally marginalized populations.
Patients (including Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries, people with chronic conditions, and those with disabilities) will have advance directives and advance care planning more consistently recognized across federal programs through clearer statutory definitions and linked Medicare/Medicaid/CHIP references, making it easier for their treatment preferences to be identified and followed.
Providers, health systems, and trainees will get centralized resources, training materials, and grant-funded palliative/end‑of‑life education to improve clinician competency and integration of advance directives into practice and EHRs.
A national 5‑year, evidence‑based public education campaign will increase awareness and access to advance care planning for seniors, seriously ill patients, and the public, likely improving uptake of advance directives.
Hospitals, providers, and state agencies will face new administrative, reporting, and compliance burdens (including quality measures starting Jan 1, 2028) that increase paperwork and operating costs.
The push toward federal standardization (uniform forms, registry, or nationally promoted approaches) risks legal conflicts and operational uncertainty with existing State advance directive laws and the repeal/changes to older statutory language, complicating implementation.
Creating and running a national education campaign, websites, studies, demonstrations, and related federal activities will require additional federal spending and raise costs for taxpayers absent specified offsets.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Directs HHS to run a national five‑year advance care planning education campaign, issues nonbinding guidance, and orders studies/demonstrations on national advance directive policy, registry, and EHR standards.
Official title: Improve end-of-life care.
Introduced August 3, 2026 by Richard Blumenthal · Last progress August 3, 2026
Creates a federal push to increase advance care planning by defining key terms, issuing nonbinding guidance, launching a national public education campaign, and directing studies and demonstrations on national advance directive policies, registries, and electronic health record standards. The HHS Secretary must run a culturally appropriate, multi-media campaign (including social media and PSAs) by January 1, 2026, running at least five years, and several federal agencies must study feasibility and barriers to uniform advance directive policy, a national registry, and EHR integration.