A Democratic bill with no cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Hospice CARE Act of 2026 aims to improve the integrity of Medicare-funded hospice care. It establishes a five-year nationwide moratorium on new hospice program enrollments, with certain exemptions for underserved areas. The bill increases oversight through more frequent surveys, stricter ownership reporting, and mandatory prepayment medical reviews for programs with aberrant billing. It also updates payment structures, expands who can certify terminal illness, and adds new respite care options. Additionally, it requires hospitals to provide better discharge planning regarding available hospice services.
Yes· 3 of 18
- Scored +8
Would retired people be better off under this?
Directly improves the quality, integrity, and available options for end-of-life care under Medicare.
- Scored +7
Would people over 65 be better off under this?
Provides better integrity, transparency, and expanded respite care options for elderly patients in hospice.
- Scored +7
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?
Requires public website publication of hospice ownership and managing control information.
The opposite· 3 of 4
- Scored -5
Would business owners be better off under this?
Hospice business owners face stricter reporting, higher penalties, and enrollment restrictions.
- Scored -4
Does this make it easier to run a small business?
New enrollment restrictions and high penalties for ownership changes may disproportionately burden small hospice providers.
- Scored -3
Does this leave more decisions to the states?
Federal mandates on enrollment and oversight may override state-level hospice management preferences.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
- Increased Access in Underserved Areas: The Secretary can exempt new hospice programs from the enrollment moratorium if they serve areas with insufficient access or unmet needs (Section 2(a)(1)(10)(B)).
- Patient Transparency: Individuals making a hospice election will receive a notice within 15 days specifying their provider, the certifying clinician, and how to report waste, fraud, and abuse (Section 2(l)(1)).
- Expanded Certification Options: Starting October 1, 2027, physician assistants and nurse practitioners can certify terminal illnesses, potentially increasing the number of available providers (Section 2(f)(1)).
- Improved Independence of Care: To ensure integrity, certifications for terminal illness must be made by a provider without a significant financial relationship or ownership interest in the hospice program if the attending physician is employed by that program (Section 2(e)(1)).
- Enhanced Respite Care: The bill allows respite care to be provided in certain residential care facilities (Section 3(c)(2)) and introduces payment for short-term home respite care (Section 3(e)(1)).
- Better Hospital Transitions: Hospitals must now inform patients eligible for hospice care about the availability of such care and respite services in their area during discharge planning (Section 3(d)(1)(E)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Limited Provider Growth: The mandatory five-year nationwide moratorium on new hospice enrollments could limit the overall growth of available hospice programs (Section 2(a)(1)(10)(A)).
- Payment Denials for Data Failure: Starting in fiscal year 2028, no payments will be made to hospice programs that fail to submit required data to the Secretary, which could threaten the financial stability of those programs (Section 2(d)(1)(C)).
- Stricter Recertification Requirements: Starting October 1, 2027, a face-to-face encounter is required no more than 30 days before each recertification to determine continued eligibility for care (Section 2(n)).
- Financial Penalties for Ownership Changes: Hospice programs that fail to provide advance notice of changes in ownership or control can face civil monetary penalties up to $1,000,000 or termination of enrollment (Section 2(i)(2)(A)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would retired people be better off under this? — Directly improves the quality, integrity, and available options for end-of-life care under Medicare. Would people over 65 be better off under this? — Provides better integrity, transparency, and expanded respite care options for elderly patients in hospice. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Increased protections against fraud and better access in underserved areas benefit low-income seniors. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — Improved transparency and care quality protect middle-class families using Medicare hospice. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — Specific provisions for underserved area exemptions support hospice access in rural regions. Would Black Americans be better off under this? — Targeted exemptions for underserved areas may improve access for marginalized racial groups. Would Asian Americans be better off under this? — Targeted exemptions for underserved areas may improve access for marginalized racial groups. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — Targeted exemptions for underserved areas may improve access for marginalized racial groups. Would Native Americans be better off under this? — Targeted exemptions for underserved areas may improve access for marginalized racial groups. Would white Americans be better off under this? — General improvement in hospice care integrity benefits all Medicare recipients. Would business owners be better off under this? — Hospice business owners face stricter reporting, higher penalties, and enrollment restrictions.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — Requires public website publication of hospice ownership and managing control information. Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill significantly increases federal oversight, reporting requirements, and regulatory control over hospice providers. Does this leave more decisions to the states? — Federal mandates on enrollment and oversight may override state-level hospice management preferences.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices? — Increased transparency and fraud prevention protect patients from substandard or fraudulent care. Does this make the government pay for what it commits to? — Stricter billing reviews and ownership reporting improve the fiscal integrity of the Medicare hospice program. Does this reduce what the federal government owes? — Increased oversight and fraud prevention measures may reduce wasteful Medicare spending. Does this make it easier to run a small business? — New enrollment restrictions and high penalties for ownership changes may disproportionately burden small hospice providers. Is this likely to create jobs? — The five-year moratorium on new hospice enrollments may limit job growth in the hospice sector.
- Healthcare
- Does this make health care easier to get in general? — Expanding certification to NPs and PAs and improving hospital discharge planning increases access to hospice services. Does this put more money into Medicare, the health coverage for people over 65? — The bill allocates specific funding for medical reviews and provides new payment structures for palliative care.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this invest in rural communities? — Exemptions to the moratorium for underserved areas may help maintain hospice access in rural regions.
- 3/17/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.