When was the last time you heard the words bipartisan and actually leaned in? That’s exactly what happened on July 15 when Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Shelly Moore Capita (R-WV) reintroduced the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA, S. 2287) in the Senate. The next day, Representatives Buddy Carter (R-GA-01) and Ami Bera (D-CA-06) introduced an identical bill (H.R. 4425) in the House. Backed by the Patient Quality of Life Coalition (PQLC), this legislation would significantly strengthen palliative care and hospice by:

• Growing the interdisciplinary palliative care workforce through training, faculty, grants, career awards, and fellowship programs.
• Increasing awareness of palliative care through a national campaign.
• Enhancing research by coordinating efforts across the National Institutes of Health.

According to the Center to Advance Palliative Care and the Patient Quality of Life Coalition, the PQLC Lobby Day on July 22, 2025, aimed to educate policymakers on the value of palliative care and the importance of PCHETA.

Following this announcement, Mehmet Oz, MD, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), indicated that his agency would intensify efforts to combat fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicare, specifically targeting the hospice sector. Recent reports of Medicare fraud recovery efforts have raised concerns, but they also underscore the importance of ensuring funds are directed to those who truly need support.

There’s an important distinction between palliative care and hospice care, but at the core, both strive to improve quality of life. Whether the need is for palliative care or hospice, that choice belongs to the patient. Unfortunately, where there is money, there is fraud. Just as we’ve grown accustomed to multiple layers of verification when logging into a bank account, strict oversight in hospice programs is necessary to protect those in need.

In an ideal world, providers would always act in the best interest of the people they serve. If fraud is uncovered in hospice programs, accountability is crucial—but let’s not lose sight of the resources and compassion these services bring to families in their most vulnerable moments. As legislation like PCHETA advances, palliative care and hospice must continue to evolve to ensure every individual receives the support they deserve. Additional insights can be found in UCSF’s article on hospice improving care for patients with dementia and the Hospice Special Focus Program Summary Report.

For a deeper dive, check out our Hospice Services – Be(A)ware resource.

Stay well and stay informed!