June 13 2024 Washington, DC — Statement on the discussion draft released June 13 of the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform and Enforcement (CARE) Act of 2024, sponsored by Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), from Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, including hospice:
“Now in its fourth decade as a Medicare-covered service, hospice is primed for change – which, done right, will ensure it remains a sustainable and noteworthy benefit for those needing care and services, as well as those providing it.
As part of our persistent and focused hospice advocacy efforts, LeadingAge is actively engaged with Rep. Blumenauer, other lawmakers and a range of sector stakeholders as an architect of this legislation, which impacts issues of critical importance, including payment and oversight. Benefit changes included in the draft, such as respite care at home, expansions of inpatient hospice options and a payment stream for certain high-cost therapies – all of which we have long advocated for – will, we expect, expand access to and incentivize high quality hospice care.
Along with those efforts, the Hospice CARE Act of 2024 also aims to protect the integrity of the existing benefit. In addition to including important provisions that will help to identify fraud and abuse in a timely manner as well as preclude illicit business formation by fraudulent providers, this bill also includes LeadingAge priorities focused on better targeting of program-integrity resources, improvements to auditor education and increased transparency into the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regulatory practices around audits.
Achieving true reform requires courage and a willingness to negotiate tradeoffs – a truth exemplified in Mr. Blumenauer’s draft. While we cannot support its every policy, we are committed to continued engagement with all parties, keeping our eyes on the prize: tackling shortcomings and adding improvements. On behalf of our nonprofit and mission-driven hospice members, we’re eager to move forward and reach that shared goal.”
Adds Mollie Gurian, vice president of Home Based & HCBS Policy: “We urge members to engage with us and with policymakers to provide feedback. We have an opportunity to shape hospice’s future while also broadening access to and use of the benefit. Nonprofit hospice providers have long been standard bearers for quality care in the sector; we believe that, through active participation we can help our mission-driven members continue that tradition. We thank Rep. Blumenauer for his commitment and partnership in moving hospice toward a bright future.”
