Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act

The Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act would authorize a five-year pilot program under Medicare to test a community-based palliative care model focused on high-risk beneficiaries with serious illnesses. Administered through the Medicare Innovation Center (CMI), the model aims to coordinate palliative care and services across settings—home, community, and institutions—to improve quality of life, align care with patient goals, and reduce unnecessary emergency department visits and hospitalizations. It would replace the previously existing Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM). Implementation would begin within one year after enactment, and the model would allow care to be delivered in diverse settings, including in-patient stays if palliative care begins before admission, with care continuity maintained across location changes. The bill creates a comprehensive care design (team-based, with at least one hospice-certified clinician) and broad access requirements (24/7 telehealth and in-person availability; focus on rural and underserved areas). It also sets out specific services to be provided, ranging from pain and symptom management to advance care planning, mental health, caregiver support, spiritual care, and personal care assistance, with a strong emphasis on coordinated care across providers and community services. The model’s success would be measured by comparing participants to similar non-model beneficiaries on a range of utilization and experience metrics, including hospice use, length of hospice, and overall care experience.