Legislative champions in C-TAC’s corner have introduced important pieces of legislation recently. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) leads the pack with three bills related to palliative care, hospice, and long-term care. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) reintroduced her successful bipartisan legislation known as PCHETA, the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act. One of the most important aspects of these developments is the bipartisan nature of the support for these bills. In the current state of open animosity and enmity among many members of Congress, finding areas of agreement is refreshing and a reason for optimism. Many of the bills’ cosponsors are members of the Senate Comprehensive Care Caucus.
The Comprehensive Care Caucus is led by Jacky Rosen (D-NV), John Barrasso (R-WY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Deb Fischer (R-NE). According to the caucus’s press release, “The caucus will work to enhance access to palliative care services and improve the quality of life of millions of Americans managing serious illnesses.”
Senator Rosen reintroduced the Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act on June 8, 2023 (S. 1845). Sponsors are Senators Rosen, Barrasso, Baldwin, and Fischer. Senator Rosen states, “Palliative care has been shown to improve health outcomes and quality of life, but unfortunately, for seniors, it is only currently available to patients in hospice.” Senator Rosen goes on to say, “That’s why I’m introducing bipartisan legislation to expand Medicare coverage of palliative care, making it available to seniors earlier in the diagnosis and treatment process.” This bill would require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish a community based palliative care demonstration. The bill was referred to the Senate Finance Committee. One of C-TAC’s earliest efforts was to develop and propose a serious illness model and has long-supported effort like this and the legislation initiatives of Representative Blumenauer and Senators Warner and the White House, who have pushed for advanced/serious illness models and demonstrations.
Another bill introduced by Rosen is the Provider Training in Palliative Care Act (S. 2117), dropped in the hopper on June 23, 2023. This legislation allows enrollees in the National Health Services Corp. to defer their obligatory service for up to one year in order to be trained in palliative care protocols. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) co-sponsored the bill, making it another bipartisan offering. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Jon Broyles, C-TAC CEO points out, “C-TAC supports this bipartisan legislation and its goal of expanding the number of health care professionals with palliative care training. We believe that enabling National Health Service Corp’s participants to defer their service for up to one year for a palliative fellowship or other palliative training opportunity could be a tipping point incentive for those who want to pursue palliative care in their careers.”
Rosen has also spearheaded the creation of a National Advisory Commission on Long-Term Care with the support of Senator Boozman, who pointed out,
“Americans are living longer and their health care needs will continue to evolve. Establishing a national advisory commission will help us better prepare for future challenges in regards to coordinating services, training a workforce to meet seniors’ and individuals’ with disabilities needs as well as providing information and options to empower them and their caregivers with the resources available. I’m pleased to join Senator Rosen in leading this bipartisan initiative.”
PCHETA, was reintroduced in the 118th Congress by its original sponsor, Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin. The bill has 17 co-sponsors, including lead Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito. The bill was referred to the Senate HELP Committee.
PCHETA would, “amend the Public Health Service Act to increase the number of permanent faculty in palliative care at accredited allopathic and osteopathic medical schools, nursing schools and other programs, including social work, physician assistant, and chaplaincy education programs, to promote education and research in palliative care and hospice, and to support the development of faculty careers in academic palliative and hospice care.”
For many years, C-TAC has worked closely with Baldwin and other legislators and organizations on PCHETA. The bill successfully passed the House in July 2018 and moved to the Senate. When President Biden developed the Build Back Better legislation, C-TAC and many other advocacy groups worked successfully to include PCHETA provisions; they were funded in the bill for $100 million. It was a significant step to have PCHETA funded in the legislation because it shows that both the administration and congressional policy makers support it. Even though Build Back Better never became law, the support for PCHETA remains strong. It has been reintroduced in each of the last four congresses and has passed in the House at least twice. It remains a C-TAC priority.
“Assessment, care coordination, the use of a well-trained team, focused payment models, patient and family engagement, and advance care planning are all part of a comprehensive approach for people with serious illness and their families,” said Jon Broyles, C-TAC CEO. “With these bills, these senators are making sure we continue to put the puzzle pieces together to provide access to high-quality, equitable serious illness health care for America’s families.”
