February 14, 2023 Washington, DC — Statement from Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO, LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, including hospice, on hospice benefit reform proposals submitted to Congressional leadership: 

“We drafted these proposals, which include both big ideas as well as actionable fixes, with one goal: to make the hospice benefit work better, and to ensure it remains a sustainable and noteworthy benefit. The most common comment our hospice members hear from patients and families is “why didn’t I get your services sooner?” Additions, including new levels of care and providing hospices with sufficient resources to pay for treatments that have a palliative intent but are, currently, cost prohibitive, would greatly increase access and utilization of the current benefit, thereby addressing this concern . We also want to be sure that patients and families have appropriate access to palliative care under Medicare Part B and we are advocating for sustainable funding. Taken as a whole, our recommendations would be achievable and transformational and help reach the widely held goal of better serving older adults and families.”

We represent more than 5,000 nonprofit aging services providers and other mission-minded organizations that touch millions of lives every day. Alongside our members and 38 state partners, we use applied research, advocacy, education, and community-building to make America a better place to grow old. Our membership, which now includes the providers of the Visiting Nurse Associations of America, encompasses the continuum of services for people as they age, including those with disabilities. We bring together the most inventive minds in the field to lead and innovate solutions that support older adults wherever they call home. For more information visit leadingage.org.