Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act

This bill tells Medicare to test a new, community-based palliative care model for people with serious illnesses. Care teams would work with a patient’s other doctors to manage pain and symptoms, help with decisions, and support families—without stopping disease treatments. The test must run for 5 years and start within 1 year of the law taking effect. It is meant to replace the earlier Medicare Care Choices Model. Care must be available 24/7, including by telehealth, and continue smoothly if a patient moves between home, hospital, or other settings. People are not blocked from joining just because they used hospice before. The program must pay special attention to access in rural and underserved areas and measure results like ER visits, hospital stays, and use of hospice.

Care teams can include palliative specialists (with at least one team member certified in hospice and palliative care), and may come from hospices, home health agencies, hospitals, or health systems. Services can include pain and symptom relief, education, mental health support, caregiver help, spiritual care, personal care assistance, and stress reduction therapies.

• Who is eligible: Medicare Part A beneficiaries with serious illnesses or injuries (such as cancer, heart or lung disease, HIV, Alzheimer’s or other neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, serious injuries needing rehab, kidney or liver disease, ALS, and others the Secretary deems appropriate).
• Where care happens: At home (including a caregiver’s home), extended care facilities, community settings, and during hospital stays if started before admission; services should not be disrupted when changing locations.