Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act

# Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act — Summary **What the Bill Would Do** This bill would require Medicare's innovation center to test a new program providing palliative care (comfort-focused medical care for serious illnesses) to Medicare patients. Under the program, teams of healthcare professionals would offer coordinated care available 24/7 to Medicare beneficiaries with serious conditions like cancer. The bill would replace an earlier palliative care program that ended in 2021. **Who It Affects** The primary beneficiaries would be Medicare patients—primarily seniors and some younger disabled individuals—who have serious illnesses or injuries.

The bill could also affect healthcare providers and Medicare itself by potentially changing how care is delivered and paid for. **Key Provisions** The program would require multidisciplinary teams (doctors, nurses, social workers, etc.) to provide coordinated care. Medicare's innovation center would need to evaluate whether the new model improves patient outcomes compared to standard care, measuring factors like hospice care usage and patient outcomes. **Current Status** The bill is currently in committee (S 1935, 119th Congress), sponsored by Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), meaning it has not yet been debated or voted on by the full Senate.