Health Affairs Forefront Age-Friendly Health Article: It’s Past Time For An Upgrade To The Medicare Hospice Benefit
Health Affairs Forefront has published an article titled, "It’s Past Time For An Upgrade To The Medicare Hospice Benefit" as part of its Age-Friendly Health series.
Authors Cara L. Wallace and Stephanie P. Wladkowski discuss how current policy restrictions on enrolling in and remaining on hospice make it difficult for many hospice recipients to receive hospice care for “whatever time remains.” Greater flexibility could expand access to hospice by broadening Medicare's definition of terminally ill. Expanding funding for community-based palliative care to create alternatives to routine home care can also provide greater access while limiting negative outcomes associated with a discharge.
This article is part of the Age-Friendly Health Health Affairs Forefront series. Other 2024 articles in the series are:
- "The End Of Pandemic-Era Medicaid Funding Threatens Key Investments In The Direct Care Workforce," by Barbara Lyons Diane Rowland, March 22, 2024
- "Suicide Rates Are High And Rising Among Older Adults In The US," by Chloe Zilkha Vani Agarwal Richard G. Frank, March 4, 2024
- "Medicare’s Mental Health Care Problem," by Grace McCormack Mark Meiselbach Josephine Rohrer, March 4, 2024
- "Bridging The Home-Based Primary Care Gap In Rural Areas," by Ginny Rogers Montgomery Smith Jonathan Gonzalez-Smith Robert S. Saunders, February 7, 2024
Read the Health Affairs Forefront article.
Go to the Health Affairs Forefront Age-Friendly Health article series.
Learn more about JAHF's co-support of Health Affairs.