HR-2437-119
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Sponsored by Erin Houchin (R-IN)
What it does
This bill would amend the Medicare provisions of the Social Security Act to require hospitals to provide information about available hospice programs to patients who are likely eligible for hospice care at the time of discharge. It would also clarify that discharge planning information must separately address home health services for patients likely to need them. These requirements would apply to discharges occurring on or after January 1, 2026.
Who benefits
Medicare patients nearing the end of life who may be unaware of hospice options available to them. Family members and caregivers of those patients, who may benefit from hospice support services. Hospice programs that participate in Medicare, which may see increased referrals. Patients who currently receive less intensive and potentially less appropriate post-discharge care due to lack of information about hospice eligibility.
Who is hurt
Hospitals that would bear administrative costs of identifying likely hospice-eligible patients and compiling updated lists of qualifying local hospice programs. Hospital discharge planning staff who would take on additional documentation and notification responsibilities. Skilled nursing facilities and other post-acute care providers could see reduced referrals if more patients are directed toward hospice instead. There is no direct financial penalty identified in the bill text, but compliance obligations add operational burden.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that many Medicare patients who qualify for hospice care never receive it — or receive it only in the final days of life — because they were never informed it was an option at discharge. They contend that hospice care is associated with improved patient comfort, reduced unnecessary hospitalizations, and greater alignment with patients' end-of-life preferences, and that a simple disclosure requirement is a low-cost way to close a meaningful information gap for a vulnerable population.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that adding mandatory disclosure requirements places new administrative burdens on hospitals already managing complex discharge planning processes, potentially diverting staff time and resources from direct patient care. They contend that determining which patients are "likely eligible" for hospice involves clinical judgment that is difficult to standardize, and that the requirement could lead to premature or inappropriate hospice conversations that distress patients and families who are not yet at that stage of care planning.