On September 16th, Senator Max Baucus of the Senate Finance Committee proposed a health care reform plan. Some regarded the plan as a starting point and pointed out that it had several shortcomings. Some of these shortcomings would negatively impact the availability and effectiveness of palliative and hospice care. The Senate has been working diligently on amending the plan until all are satisfied with it. Though it has not yet reached an acceptable final draft, the Senate has made some positive changes to Baucus’s proposal.

An amendment to the proposal that significantly improves it is the “Ensuring People in Hospice Do Not Have to Give Up the Prospect of a Cure” amendment. Right now, a person who enrolls in hospice care becomes ineligible for Medicare coverage. This amendment intends to change the law so that is no longer the case. Patients in hospice care would still be able to pursue treatments and services that may extend their lives. This is a positive change, because it ensures that patients will be able to receive the benefits of hospice care without feeling that they have to give up hope. In addition, this may have a positive effect on how society views hospice care, as it will become clear that hospice is not a last resort, but rather a beneficial option.

While much work has been done to improve the plan, unfortunately, some negative aspects of the proposal have remained as originally written. A major cause for concern is the slashes proposed for Medicare and Medicaid funding. Part of the original proposal, for example, prohibits increased funding to hospices to account for rising costs of living. This is unacceptable, as it will mean a decrease in access to quality care. It is encouraging that improvements have been made to the proposal that will ensure access to end of life care in this country, but cutting funding to programs that provide such care hinders progress toward that goal.