Medicare abandoned a test for covering the end-of-life care option through the private-run program.
Share on linkedin As Medicare Advantage grows bigger and bigger, there's one area the industry and regulators haven't figured out how to make work yet: hospice.The end-of-life care option is the only Medicare service that can't be offered in the private-run alternative, which now covers over half of enrollees.
Experts say the roots of this awkward arrangement likely goes back about 40 years, when private Medicare first became a permanent offering. At the time, traditional Medicare had just startedMedicare's Innovation Center began an experiment in 2021 that allowed Medicare plans to contract directly with hospice providers.whether that could make end-of-life care transitions more seamless for Medicare Advantage patients while reducing costs and improving care quality.
also faced a learning curve on how to work with hospice for their Medicare enrollees. Hospice is delivered and paid for differently than other Medicare benefits. "This is by no means the end of the story for end-of-life care providers and MA plans," said Ethan McChesney, policy director at the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation.
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