C-TAC members and summit attendees provided important feedback on policy themes and priorities to incorporate into our 2025 policy agenda that will be published in January. We appreciate your commitment and participation in developing a policy agenda that will address the many challenges needed to improve care for people with serious illness and their family caregivers. Thank you for taking the time to respond to the member policy survey and attend the summit policy brainstorming session.
Overarching Comment Themes
- Transition to value-based care and purchasing models
- Upstream palliative care as a preventative approach
- Workforce shortages and staffing challenges
- Lack of focus on caregiver supports and resources
Comments on Policy Priorities
Payment Model Reform
- Transition from fee-for-service (FFS) to value-based payment models that reward positive health outcomes over service volume.
- Establish reimbursement pathways to support comprehensive interdisciplinary care teams (e.g., social workers, chaplains, registered nurses, care managers) for holistic, patient-centered care.
- Address caregiver burden by recognizing and mitigating emotional, physical, and financial stress. Suggested solutions include in-home respite care to provide temporary relief and support for caregivers.
Advance Care Planning (ACP)
- Advocate for billing codes that allow social workers to bill for ACP services.
- Eliminate patient copays for ACP to enhance accessibility and uptake.
Community-based Supports and Services
- Focus efforts on targets aspects such as:
- Area Agencies on Aging (AAA)
- Developing partnerships between providers and community-based organizations (CBOs)
Hospice Program Integrity & Benefit Modernization
- Enable access to concurrent care in the hospice benefit for beneficiaries, addressing restrictions on non-curative services tied to hospice certification.
- Promote earlier palliative care interventions to prevent premature hospice admissions.
Health Equity
- Collect comprehensive data on barriers to care to identify gaps and populations most impacted by healthcare disparities.
- Use data to design targeted interventions and allocate resources effectively.
State Efforts to Expand Access to Serious Illness Care
- Expand access to essential social services addressing social determinants of health (SDOH), such as:
- Housing assistance
- Nutrition support
- Childcare services
- Career navigation resources
- Advocate for State Plan Amendments (SPAs) to allow Medicaid reimbursement for palliative care services.
- Expand Medicaid coverage to include more or all palliative costs to improve accessibility and affordability.
COMING IN JANUARY: C-TAC will release its 100 Days Policy Agenda outlining our priorities and goals
