Recently CNBC ran a news story which reported that Medicare spending for patients in the last year of life was exceeding 33% of total expenses. In addition CNBC reported that Hospice programs had saved Medicare two billion dollars last year or $2,500 per patient who received Hospice services. Given those facts it would seem that Medicare would want to embrace Hospice, but the reverse is true. Last year Medicare officials proposed a three year phase-in for a reduction to Hospice reimbursement which would result in the average Hospice in the US receiving a 5% cut in funding.

Last month on April 22, 2009, I along with 500 Hospice Advocates from across the country went to Washington, DC and met with our U.S. Senators and Representatives. With the help of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), we urged them to protect access to compassionate and high-quality end-of-life care. In 2008 more than 1.4 million patients and families used Hospice services, of that, 854 of these patients were served by HOSPICE of Orange & Sullivan Counties, Inc. Throughout the day we emphasized the value of hospice in their communities, and urged lawmakers to support efforts to stop the cuts in Medicare hospice funding that threaten to close the doors of hospice programs around the country. We also specifically asked Members of Congress to sign on to a bipartisan letter to President Barack Obama and to contact the Department of Health and Human Services about rescinding the Medicare hospice funding cut before it goes into effect on October 1, 2009.

If you would like to learn more or help in our fight, go to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization website www.nhpco.org. Go to QUICK LINKS and scroll down to HOSPICE ADVOCACY and click on “Tip of the Week”. The site will give you an option to contact your senator and help us protect the Hospice benefit for all.

Thank you.