Congress to Review Advance-Care Planning Legislation

Congress is reviewing the Personalize Your Care Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, to provide Medicare and Medicaid coverage for voluntary advance-care planning consultations. The proposed law will offer families the tools to manage end-of-life decisions by providing advance-care planning meetings every five years or in the event of a change in health status. The bill also will provide grants to states to establish or expand Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) programs, and it ensures that a patient’s electronic health records display his or her current POLST or advance directive form.

“Families need the tools and ability to work with healthcare providers to determine and express their wishes for care in the event that they no longer have the capacity to make decisions,” said Blumenauer. “This legislation gives providers the necessary time, space and funding to conduct complex discussions with patients so they can be appropriately cared for. These consultations will ensure that an individual’s values and goals for care are identified, understood and respected.”