Unanimous Vote Sends W&M Hospice Oversight Bill To House Floor

The Ways & Means Committee unanimously passed a hospice reform bill meant to increase authority for HHS and CMS to penalize low-quality Medicare hospice providers at a committee markup on Wednesday (Feb. 12). The Helping Our Senior Population in Comfort Environments (HOSPICE) Act, H.R. 5821, was introduced by Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) on Monday (Feb. 10) as a companion to a Senate version from Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) . The bill...